บททั้งหมดของ Never Mine To Love: บทที่ 101 - บทที่ 110

When Noah leaned in closer, my breath hitched. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. His eyes were locked on mine, and I was sure, I mean absolutely sure, he was going to kiss me. My pulse was pounding, my fingers frozen around the edge of the display shelf behind me. I could smell his cologne, fresh, clean, and somehow warm like summer. I could feel the heat from his body. It wrapped around me like a dare.Then he chuckled.Not softly. Not shyly. But like he knew exactly what I’d been thinking.He reached past me to point at the menu behind which he could see from the transparent glass—some cake or a whipping cream—and stepped away like nothing had happened. Like my heart wasn’t beating against my ribs so hard I thought I’d burst open.I let out a shaky breath as he entered inside and went to the employee, chatting about wrapping cake as a gift. Meanwhile, I stood there, tongue dry, palms sweaty, feeling like a balloon that had been blown up too much.I started counting in my head.One.Two.Th

River's Pov.I didn’t know what time it was when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. My eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the soft lighting in the room. My head was still fuzzy from the nap, and for a second, I forgot where I was—until I saw Noah standing by the edge of the bed with a teasing grin tugging at the corner of his mouth."Get up, sleepyhead," he said, nudging my arm again. "Dinner’s ready. And you might wanna do something about... that." His finger circled vaguely around my hair and my general appearance.I groaned and buried my face back into the pillow for a moment. "I was tired," I mumbled."You look like you fought your suitcase and lost," he teased, walking toward the door. "Ten minutes. Be downstairs or I’m sending my cousin to drag you out."I lifted my hand and waved him off, then pushed myself up slowly. My body was still warm from sleep, and it took effort to peel off the hoodie I had been lounging in. I glanced at myself in the mirror hanging near the wardro

River’s POVI didn’t know how I made it through dessert after that. Maybe because the chocolate tart was soft and sweet enough to distract me. Or maybe because Noah didn’t say anything else. Not to the boy. Not to me. Not even when the table picked up again and conversations returned to normal.I just kept my eyes down and nodded when someone passed me another napkin or asked if I wanted tea. I didn’t. What I wanted was to disappear into the floor, maybe sink through the rug and vanish into the basement or something. I couldn’t stop hearing the boy’s voice in my head.“But can he be your boyfriend?”God.By the time people began getting up from the table, I was already halfway out of my chair. I mumbled something about the bathroom and slipped away, walking fast down the hallway even though I had no idea where I was going. I wasn’t even sure I remembered which room Noah had put me in. This house was too big. Too quiet now. Too polished and full of eyes that felt like they followed me

Daniel’s POV“Our little play date is almost over.”The words echoed in my ears long after Olivia had said them.They weren’t loud, but they rang like a bell I couldn’t unhear. Sharp. Strange. Cold.For a second, I just stood there in my office, frozen. The phone pressed to my ear. The computer still open behind me. A stack of books on the edge of the desk. But everything faded—blurred into nothing.“What did you say?” I asked again, though I had heard her clearly.Olivia’s voice was tight. Not scared, but not calm either. “It’s written on the package,” she said. “Just that. In cut-out black letters. Like something from an old mystery movie.”I rubbed a hand across my jaw. My throat felt dry.“Don’t open it. Don’t touch it,” I said quickly. My body had already started to move on its own. I grabbed my coat from the hook, my keys clinking loudly as I snatched them from the bowl. “Just leave it where it is.”“I didn’t touch anything,” she answered. “It was sitting on the front table when

Noah's Pov Something changed with river's behaviour.Like when you walk into a room and someone just left, and the air still holds the shape of them. Like when a song skips, not enough to ruin it, but enough that you know something’s off.That’s what it was like.One second River was laughing, really laughing. His smile touched every part of his face. He had this small dimple on the left side that only showed when he was genuinely amused. And he was—at least I thought so. Claire had just finished telling her story about the time she mistook salt for sugar in her baking, and he laughed so hard he nearly dropped his fork.But the next moment…Something went quiet inside him.Not loud. Not even obvious.Just… quiet.Like a light dimmed behind his eyes.His smile faded before anyone noticed. His fork hovered over the raspberry cheesecake, then lowered slowly, like he forgot it was even there. He blinked down at his phone. Once. Twice. Then tapped the side of it with his finger. Just once