Maya’s heart skipped. She and Carlos both froze, staring at each other as if Star's question had been a gunshot. Then Maya forced a small smile, turning toward her sister. “Don Vargas was a villain, Star,” she said softly, her hand brushing through the girl’s hair. “A bad man, the kind you shouldn’t even talk about.” Star frowned, confused, but nodded slowly, accepting the answer. Maya’s eyes flicked back to Carlos. For a beat, their gazes held, silent words passing between them. Then she looked away, her chest tightening with an unease she tried to ignore. The drive back to Carlos’s house was quiet afterward, between Maya and Carlos. Star hummed softly in the backseat, kicking her legs, while Maya sat rigid in the passenger seat. She kept glancing sideways at Carlos...at his set jaw, at the faint shadow of exhaustion beneath his eyes, and most of all, at the ring glinting on his finger when it caught the light. She told herself not to jump to conclusions, not after everyt
Last Updated : 2025-08-20 Read more