When Mom and Thomas were back home, I asked them to gather in the living room. I sat with my hands over my knees. On my right side was Luke wearing an impassive face. His arms folded across his chest. Fortunately, Nate agreed to stay, who was now at my left. He was a bit confused by the sudden family meeting. He didn’t ask any more questions. I cleared my throat. “Well.” I licked my lips. “I just wanted you to know that, um… I need to…” I glanced up at Luke’s face, still emotionless. He noticed me looking at him, then raised an eyebrow. I looked away quickly. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?” my mother frowned in confusion. Thomas seemed to have kept his usual calmness next to Mom, but he looked bothered. “I think I need to—” Luke rolled his eyes. “She’s coming with me tomorrow.” “What?!” Nate reacted. The world seemed to have stopped for everyone, followed by a moment of awkward silence. Finally, Thomas spoke, “What is this all about? This is too sudden. Scarlet agreed to stay her

SCARLETFlying with a private jet was so convenient; our flight turned smoothly. Luke wasn’t much of a talker as usual. He didn’t bother me for the whole hour and a half, which I preferred. I wouldn’t know what I would say to him either. All he did was stare at his iPad. I took it as a hint that he shouldn’t be bothered.A sleek blue Ferrari F60 was waiting for us at the airfield when we landed. The man standing next to it handed him the keys, and Luke shoved our suitcases in the compartment, then we pulled out.Still not talking, Luke maneuvered every turn in the roads I’d known for six years. Luke and the sports car were absolutely something else. I’d never thought driving could be sexy. He handled the steering wheel with control and maintained an even speed.He then finally spoke, “What?”“Nothing.”“Something on my face?”I probably kept staring at his handsome face, and he had noticed me. I shrugged. “You’re a bit different than the way I thought you were.”“Like how?” he asked,

SCARLET“Getting dressed already?”“I’m hungry, Luke. I need real food.”Luke watched me slip on my clothes. He sat up, letting the white sheets fall off his torso, down his waist.He was such a tease, and he knew just how to lure me. I felt his burning gaze on my body. I had not encountered a man that held stamina like his. I bet he could put me under his spell for the entire day. I spun around because I might end up having sex with him again.“Or we can just ask for a delivery.” He shrugged.“Aren’t you going out today?” I secured the hook of my bra and then put a shirt on. “If you always do that to the women you screw online, then don’t do it to me.”“I’ve never done this before.”I heaved a sigh. “I’m serious. Ugh! I’m going to the kitchen. I’m starving!”He flashed out a half-smile. “So am I.”I shook my head, then picked up the towel I used and threw it at him. “Take a shower now, please? And I don’t want delivery right now.”He chuckled. “There’s a restaurant two blocks away.”

SCARLET“And you’ve got yourself a date, honey.” My best friend wiggled her eyebrows, smiling meaningfully. “He’s been head over heels for you ever since forever. I can’t believe you just don’t want to see the other things around.”“You know why, Katherine.”Katherine and I went to the cafeteria for lunch, and Nate still didn’t show up.“I don’t know if I would ever see Anthony that way,” I went on as we settled at a table. “He’s polite, and he doesn’t seem to get tired doing what he does.”“Or maybe you are just refusing to see the big picture.”I shrugged. “I see it, but it’s just not for me.”When I learned about Katherine and Nate, I knew they were a match made in heaven. Katherine was a beautiful, intelligent, and sweet girl, while Nate was a charming guy who believed in a happy ending. But for me, I was damaged enough to know that my soul mate (if they existed) wasn’t born yet. No one could ever keep up with my issues. All of them would end up getting sick and tired of me.“Anth

SCARLETWhen we arrived at the apartment, I jumped straight to my bed. Katherine seemed to understand that I wasn’t in the mood, so she asked Nate to go home. I lay on my bed and buried my face in the pillows.I wasn’t a crybaby, but I’d cried a lot before, whenever I missed Mom when I was forced to marry Raoul or the other heartbreaks in the past. I let out my emotions moderately, but it was never like this. Hearing Luke’s name alone could make me cry.I was in too deep. I kept remembering the night I was in his arms, his body, his scent, and the warmth of his skin against mine. It was only one night, and I had already missed him. I doubted I would ever meet another man who would make me feel the same. Katherine came back to my door an hour later. I was reading Luke’s messages from back when he was still Jax.I felt Katherine sit on the edge of my bed.“Hey, you can’t be like this all the time, you know?” she said softly.I sobbed hard. “He’s still texting me, and I’m itching to resp