Lily The drive home was quiet. Not tense, just thick. Heavy with all the words neither of us said because speaking them out loud made everything too real.Mason’s hand was warm in mine, his thumb brushing slow strokes over my skin like he was calming himself more than me. He kept his eyes on the road, jaw tight, shoulders rigid. I knew that version of him. The version who blamed himself for things he couldn’t control.I wanted to say something, anything, but the truth was, he was right. And that scared me more than anything Carlos could’ve done.When Mason pulled into the driveway, he didn’t move. Didn’t unbuckle. Didn’t breathe. He just stared straight ahead, fingers still tangled with mine like letting go would undo us entirely.“Mason,” I whispered.He blinked, slowly, as if waking from some internal battle. “I shouldn’t have snapped. I know that.”“You were protecting me.”He let out a sharp breath, like the word protecting cut him.“No,” he said. “I was reacting. There’s a dif
Last Updated : 2025-11-24 Read more