All Chapters of His Favorite Hate: Chapter 21 - Chapter 23

Vee’s POVThe morning sun spilled through the cracked blinds, casting slivers of light across the tangled sheets where Zay and I lay. I was awake before him, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing, tracing the faint lines of tension that still lingered beneath his skin.Being with Zay wasn’t easy. It never had been, and maybe it never would be. But something about the fragility of this moment made me want to believe we could be more than the mistakes we made.The past wasn’t a ghost I could just wish away, though. It clung to us like shadows—reminding me of everything we’d survived, everything we still needed to face.I traced a lazy finger over his collarbone, feeling the pulse beneath. “Zay,” I whispered, my voice rough with emotion.His eyes fluttered open, revealing that same raw intensity I’d come to know. He reached up, brushing my hair back with a tenderness that made my heart ache. “Hey,” he murmured. “You’re awake.”I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Yeah.

Zay’s POVThey say love can be gentle. That it’s soft whispers in the night, warm hands held under starlight, promises whispered like secrets between two souls. But mine? My love for Vee is something else entirely.It’s fire and shadow. It’s fierce and relentless. It’s the kind of love that claws at your insides and refuses to let go.I’ve watched other guys look at her—carefree, casual, like she was just another prize to chase. But I know better. I know Vee. She’s not just anyone. She’s mine.That possessiveness isn’t about control. It’s about protection. About wanting to keep her safe from a world that didn’t deserve her, from anyone who thought they could take her away.Sometimes, when I catch myself watching her from across the room, or feel that sharp sting of jealousy when another guy dares to get close, I remind myself: this isn’t just obsession. This is love. The kind that consumes you whole.Last night, when Ryan tried to ask her out again, I felt my blood turn to ice. The wa