บททั้งหมดของ Fragile Ties Of Love: บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

LIAM’S I saw her. I saw her. Zara. Helmet in hand. Standing just a few feet away from me in the hallway as I laughed beside Beatrice. I hadn’t expected her to arrive that early. I thought—maybe foolishly—that I’d have time to sneak out of that scene. That she wouldn’t have to see any of it. But the universe had a twisted sense of humor. And so, she walked in just in time to see it all. Beatrice’s hands on my chest. Her lips pressing to mine. The smug look on her face like she’d just won a prize. And Zara—God—Zara stood there like the ground had been pulled from under her. Her eyes met mine, and for a second I swear time froze. Those eyes used to light up every time she saw me. Used to crinkle at the corners when she laughed at one of my stupid jokes. They were warm, trusting, full of wonder. But what I saw in them now… It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t even hatred. It was betrayal. Deep, raw, bone-deep betrayal. She didn’t speak. She didn’t yell. She didn’t cry.

⸻ LEVI The morning chill hugged the air, and the city hadn’t fully woken up yet. My car cruised down the road in silence, music low in the background. Two blocks from school, I spotted a familiar sight. A busted motorcycle parked at the side of the road—and crouched beside it, her figure unmistakable—Zara Carter. I slowed, pulse steady, calculating. She looked furious—tugging at something under the frame, her helmet discarded beside her. I couldn’t hear her, but the way her lips moved told me she was cursing under her breath. Perfect. This was it. My chance to get in. I eased the car to the curb and stepped out slowly, deliberately. Didn’t want to look too eager. “Bike trouble?” I asked, voice casual like this was just a coincidence. A friendly hello. Zara didn’t look up right away. “Obviously,” she muttered finally, still fiddling with the chain. There was tension in her voice. Guarded. Rightfully so. She was still angry. Still raw. I took a few steps closer

LIAM I saw it happen from across the room. The slap. Sharp. Clean. Brutal. Kaylee’s hand across Beatrice’s face echoed even over the cafeteria noise. Phones were already out, kids whispering, gasping, watching the queen of the school take a public blow—literally and socially. And who delivered it? The quiet one. Zara’s best friend. I should’ve looked away. Should’ve gone back to the conversation Matteo and Levi were trying to drag me into about weekend plans or some basketball strategy I didn’t care about. But my eyes were glued to her. Zara. She was sitting at the table like she couldn’t believe what just happened. Then she laughed. The sound hit me like a sucker punch to the chest. God, I hadn’t heard her laugh like that since… since before I ruined everything. Since before I laughed at her behind closed doors. I looked down at my tray, the food now cold and untouched. Everything in me churned. It had been two weeks. Fourteen miserable days of pretending. Of

LIAM’S POV The Bracelet I Thought She’d Never Take Off The bracelet was small. Just some woven threads and metal. But in Levi’s hand, it felt heavier than anything I’d ever held. “What’s that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at the familiar green and black twist of fabric. Levi stood there, cool as ever, like he hadn’t just walked into my room with a loaded weapon disguised as jewelry. “She asked me to give it to you,” he said simply, holding it out. My chest tightened before he even finished the sentence. “Zara?” He nodded once. I stared at the bracelet, heart pounding, throat dry. I didn’t take it from him. Not yet. I couldn’t. “She took it off?” I asked. The question sounded pathetic even to me. “Just like that?” Levi shrugged. “Not just like that. She looked like it was killing her.” I swallowed hard. The air in my lungs felt thick, like it didn’t want to stay in. “Why were you even with her?” I demanded. “What were you doing there?” That smirk of his flicker

ZARA There was something about Levi that didn’t sit right with me. He wasn’t like Liam, whose charm was obvious, whose flirtations came with a grin and a twinkle in his eye. Levi was quieter, his words slower, like he measured each one before letting it go. That should’ve comforted me—especially after everything I’d been through with Liam—but instead, it made me feel like I was constantly walking through a fog I couldn’t quite see through. That afternoon, I sat under our usual tree near the courtyard, sketchbook in my lap, pretending to draw. My pencil made faint strokes on the paper, but my mind wasn’t on the page. It was on Levi. On the way he’d appeared beside me yesterday like he already knew I’d be there. On the way he had taken the bracelet—the one Liam gave me—without asking questions, like he knew exactly what that moment meant. And now, I couldn’t stop wondering: Why was he helping me? Was it guilt? A weird sense of justice? Or… something else? Later, at lunch, I pu