Semua Bab When loving you meant losing me: Bab 31 - Bab 40

The morning dragged. Maybe it was just me. I couldn’t shake the weird weight in my chest, even though nothing had actually happened. Jayden was still here, still smiling, still soft when he looked at me. He had just said it casually over breakfast: “We should go to your place today.”I blinked, halfway through sipping tea. “Why..?”He nodded, brushing crumbs off his shirt. “Yeah. It’s better than staying cooped up here all week.”What he really meant was: he didn’t have enough money to stock up the house. I already knew. His tone was breezy, but there was a tiny thread of tension in the way he avoided my eyes.“I could transfer something small,” I said. “Just enough for transport and groceries.”He hesitated, then smiled and kissed my forehead. “Okay baby...You’re the best.” Jayden had been nothing but lovely and if he eeded a little support—I would give my all.I paid our way to my sister’s apartment. Jayden carried the light bags—some canned veggies, pasta, and sauce. He made a com

I jumped off the couch, stumbling as I reached for my clothes that were scattered in an abandoned pile on the floor. "What’s happening?" I asked, my chest hammering. My eyes were wide, and my body went from tingling with nerves to ready to run.He picked up his clothes, tugging on his shorts in one swift motion. “Max is back,” he breathed, glancing around the sofa to check if it was clean.“I thought he was gone... out of town this week?” I stood there, clothes clutched to my chest, my hair a mess like I had struggled my way out of a bush. My legs were shaking, barely holding me up.“Don’t ask questions. Dress up.” His voice was sharp, dragging me upstairs into a room I hadn’t entered since I got there. I swallowed, realizing there were parts of the house I hadn’t explored. I pulled on my trousers, pausing to look around at the mess on my thighs. I couldn’t even clean up. Great. I tugged at them, barely checking if they were straight, and opened a drawer to find a comb. I breathed ou

The room was bathed in that late afternoon orange glow. Knock knock. I heard a soft banging on the door. Before I could even mouth come in, Ava pushed it open and stepped in like she owned the place. I sat up on the bed, my head drooping like a dying sunflower. "Why would you get back from a staycation and look like you were hit by a truck?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I had no idea you got back. I thought your sister was in." She walked over eyeing me. "Are you exhausted from the constant activities?" She plopped onto the bed beside me, nudging me with her shoulder. A sly, teasing smile stretched across her lips. "Noooo," I groaned, dragging my palms across my face like that would wipe away the shame burning beneath my skin. "You know I told you I went to his house… the one he stays in with his friend Max." "Yes," Ava mouthed with laser focus on my lips, like each word was a breadcrumb to something juicy. "I don’t think it’s a shared apartment," I muttered. Her eyes nar

Cold chills ran down my spine."You let them think that?" My voice was shaky."They laughed at me. I became a thing of mockery.""They told me, 'where did you get her from?' 'she looks like she's for the streets.'" Those words slashed my heart like a knife. I was speechless. My throat tightened as the words echoed in my head. How could they say that? Is that how the prostitutes they picked up behaved? Why was it so hard for people to think—with their brains."I couldn't defend you because of how you acted," he spoke through the phone, casually like he didn’t just tear me open."Look at the way you behaved. You kept saying you wanted to go home."I did want to go home. I felt out of place. Like a guest in a house I was promised was mine too."He's my family. Don't you want to meet my family?" His voice was calm, but I could hear the coldness behind it. That quiet kind of anger that seeps into your skin like bad weather."Look, I was uncomfortable, and you didn’t make a formal introduct

By the time I got home, the sky had already darkened. The kind of darkness that swallowed the last traces of daylight and made the world feel quieter and heavier somehow. I stood outside my door for a moment, thumbing my phone, refreshing like it might suddenly change. Then I slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open. Still, I kept staring at my screen, as if the endless loading would somehow fix everything.I flung my bag onto the floor and headed straight to Ava’s room. Maybe just hearing another voice would stop the buzzing in my head. Knock knock.I paused before opening the door. Ava was lying on her bed, headphones on, completely absorbed in whatever she was listening to. The mattress dipped under my weight as I sat down on the edge. I tapped her foot gently. She jumped — totally caught off guard.“Ava, I think my phone is broken. Can you call me?” I forced a lightness in my voice, but it came out shaky, unconvincing. Deep down, I wanted to believe that was the only rea