Lahat ng Kabanata ng Off Limits : Kabanata 91 - Kabanata 100

CallieThe park was deceptively quiet that afternoon. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns across the walking paths, but every cheerful note of children playing or joggers passing felt distant, like it belonged to someone else’s world. I walked slowly, one hand brushing along the fence lining the park, my other hand tightly gripping Grayson’s.“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked, voice low. Even with him beside me, I felt exposed—like walking through a minefield in plain sight.Grayson’s fingers tightened around mine. “We can’t hide forever,” he murmured. His eyes scanned the edges of the park, sharp and vigilant, as if he could anticipate every danger before it arrived. “We will face it head-on.”I nodded, though my stomach churned. Mary’s words, her threats, and the whispers she’d already set in motion had turned what should have been a simple afternoon walk into an exercise in tension. Every sideways glance, passing couple or group of friends seemed

CallieThe Carter house felt unusually quiet when we returned from the beach. The night outside pressed against the windows, a dark reminder that Mary’s schemes didn’t sleep, that the whispers and judgment were never far away. Inside, though, I felt something steadier, stronger—the bond Grayson and I had reinforced on the beach.We settled in the living room, the soft glow of a single lamp throwing long shadows across the polished wood floor. Grayson’s presence was a solid wall beside me, arms casually draped over the back of the couch. “We can’t just wait for her to make the next move,” I said finally, voice firmer than I’d expected. “Mary thrives on reaction. She wants us to be defensive, scared, reacting to her. We have to take control.”Grayson’s eyes darkened. He nodded slowly, a small smile brushing his lips, one that promised both reassurance and shared cunning. “Exactly. We can’t let her dictate the game. We have faced her before, but this… this is her escalation. She thinks

Callie I woke tangled in sheets that still smelled like him. My body felt calmer than my mind, which was already running through everything I’d been avoiding for weeks. Mia. Jude. The things I’d buried because surviving had mattered more than explaining. I dressed slowly, choosing soft clothes. When I stepped into the hallway, the house felt different than it had the night before. Less charged. More fragile. Like something was about to break—or finally heal. Voices drifted from the kitchen. Mia’s voice. My stomach tightened. For a split second, instinct screamed at me to turn around. To retreat. To protect myself from whatever version of her waited on the other side of the doorway—angry, wounded, distant. But I didn’t. I’d been running for too long. I stepped into the kitchen. Mia sat at the table, fingers wrapped around a mug she hadn’t touched. Her hair was pulled back messily, eyes tired. She looked older somehow. Less like my best friend and more like someone who’d

THE SUMMER FESTIVAL Callie The town looked deceptively harmless dressed up for the summer festival. String lights arched over Main Street, glowing soft gold as dusk bled into night. Booths lined the sidewalks—handmade jewelry, fried dough, lemonade stands run by teenagers who didn’t know or care that reputations were being shredded three blocks away. Laughter drifted through the air, mingling with music and the hum of too many conversations happening at once. Normal. That was the lie. Grayson’s hand found mine before I could second-guess stepping out of the truck. His grip was firm, unmistakably public. “Are you ready?” he asked quietly. No, we can leave. No you don’t have to. Just trust. I nodded. “Yeah.” We stepped into the crowd together. The shift was immediate. I felt and saw it—the way conversations slowed, the way eyes tracked us just a beat too long. Whispers rippled outward. Not loud enough to confront. Just loud enough to make us aware. Grayson didn’t let go o

CallieEven after all the adrenaline had faded, my body refused to let go of the sharp awareness that Mary’s threat wasn’t gone—it had just been postponed.Grayson appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. The faint lamplight traced the angles of his face, highlighting the calm that had grounded me all evening and the heat simmering just beneath.“You okay?” he asked. “I… think so,” I admitted, though my racing heart betrayed me.He crossed the room slowly, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The sound didn’t isolate me—it framed us in our own world, one where no whispers, no stares, no schemes could reach us.Grayson stopped in front of me, eyes locking with mine. Every subtle shift of his body, and breath, demanded attention. The tension I’d carried all day was impossible to ignore.“You did more than I could have asked,” he murmured. “Out there… you stood. You faced it. And you stayed you.”I swallowed, chest tight. “It didn’t feel like me. Not really.”His hands came up,