บททั้งหมดของ Cage to Cage: บทที่ 131 - บทที่ 140

VEX POV The storm outside hasn’t broken yet, but it’s coming.I can feel it in the pressure of the air, the heaviness in my chest, the way every shadow in this house seems to hold a memory she can’t touch anymore.I’m sitting behind my desk—lights low, sleeves rolled, paperwork untouched—when I hear steady footsteps down the hall.Kade.His knock is soft but firm.“Come in.”He steps inside, closing the door behind him. His jaw is tense, his hair still damp from the rain he walked through on the balcony. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days.Truth is, neither of us have.“Sit,” I say.He does.For a moment we don’t speak. The silence feels older than we are.Finally, Kade exhales and leans forward, forearms resting on his knees.“She’s still awake,” he says quietly. “Restless.”My fingers tap once against the desk before I force them still. “Did she ask for me?”His hesitation is the answer.“No,” he says.A slow nod. I don’t let the hit show.We sit in another long stretch of silen

KADE POVThe faint sound of footsteps in the hallway makes me lift my head.Not Vex’s—those are heavier, sharper.These are quieter. Lighter. Hesitant.Brynn’s.I hear Vex murmur something soft at her door, then the muted click of it closing. A moment later, I hear him walk back to his own room… alone.I shouldn’t move.I should stay exactly where I am—in the quiet, in the dim light of my office, pretending the world hasn’t shifted in the last twenty minutes.But the pull is instant. Automatic.I’m on my feet before I register the decision.I move down the hall, pulse pounding harder with every step. When I reach her door, it’s still cracked the way he left it.I knock once.“Brynn?”The door opens, and the sight of her hits me like a weight to the chest.Her lips are flushed.Her cheeks warm.Her pupils blown wide with something I recognize too well.For a split second, something sharp flashes through me—jealousy. Old, instinctive, hot.But it fades almost as fast as it comes.Becaus

My body is still trembling when Kade goes still above me—every line of him taut, conflicted, like he’s holding back a storm.“We can’t go any further,” he whispers, breath uneven. “Not yet.”The words land sharp, slicing through the haze he just pulled me into.My pulse stutters. “Why not?”He drags a hand through his hair, jaw tight, eyes locked on mine like he hates the answer he’s about to give.“Because, Brynn… you don’t remember anything.” His voice cracks—barely, but enough for me to feel it. “I need you to remember. I need to know this is something you want… not something you’re reaching for because you’re lost.”“It is,” I breathe, reaching for him.“It doesn’t matter.” He cuts in gently but firmly, stepping back like he’s afraid if he stays too close, his resolve will break. “If I’m truly who you want, then waiting won’t be an issue.”A slow exhale leaves him, heavy with something like longing wrapped in restraint.“Brynn,” he murmurs, eyes flicking over my flushed, undone bo

BRYNN POVThe drive home is silent for exactly eleven minutes.Not quiet — silent. The kind of silence that vibrates. The kind that has weight.Vex’s hands stay locked around the steering wheel, knuckles white, jaw clenched so hard I can see the muscle ticking even in the flashing blur of city lights. Kade sits beside him, arms crossed, eyes forward, controlled in a way that tells me he’s anything but calm.I sit in the back seat like a passenger in my own life.Ivan’s words loop in my skull, over and over, like a voice coming from underwater.“Dear ole daddy promised her to me.”Promised. Possession. Fiancé.None of it feels real — and somehow it all does.When we pull into the driveway, Vex kills the engine like it did something personal to him. He doesn’t even wait for me to get out before he mutters, “Inside.”Not a request.I follow on numb legs.Kade steps in behind me, closing the door with a soft click that feels like the only gentle sound in the universe.We make it as far as

BRYNN POVI barely sleep.Every time I drift off, a different memory slams into me—half-formed, jagged, wrong. By the time pale morning light slips through my curtains, my head feels too full and too empty at the same time.I shower, dress, and force myself downstairs.The air in the dining room is warm, scented with coffee and something sweet, but it does nothing to steady me. Vex is already there, leaning over the table, scrolling through something on his tablet. He looks tired in a way I’ve never seen—edges sharp, eyes darker than usual.He looks up the moment he senses me.“Morning,” he says quietly.But I can tell he’s studying me.Watching me like I might disappear or explode.I sit across from him, but I don’t touch the food.“Vex,” I say, voice smaller than I expect. “We need to talk.”His posture changes instantly.Not tense—alert.Before he can answer, Kade walks in, mug in hand, hair damp from a recent shower. His eyes move between us, reading the atmosphere in a heartbeat.