Lahat ng Kabanata ng Play Me Like You Mean It: Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

After Jesse dragged us out of his room, we went straight to business.I called Chanel.“Can you come over in two days?” I asked casually. “I have something to discuss with you.”She didn’t even question it.“Of course,” she replied immediately.The moment I hung up, Romi and I screamed like we had just secured a million-dollar deal.“She said yes!” Romi squealed.“Of course she said yes,” I grinned. “That girl would come if I told her I found a loose thread on Jesse’s shirt.”We had to move fast. Jesse would be returning to the States soon. If this was happening, it was happening now.Romi took charge of the decorations, and I handled the food.We were acting like we had been hired by some elite romantic proposal agency. But hello, this was our only brother finally getting the girl he had loved for years.And the icing on top?We loved the girl too.But Jesse and Chanel aside…After that night at Cade’s house, I expected something. An awkward tension. More apologies. Maybe a follow-up

The plan was never to end up in his bed. That was the part that made my stomach twist as I drove home with the morning sun slapping me in the face like it was judging my life choices.I don’t even know what we just reopened.I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.“Damn it. Why can’t I ever seem to resist him?”When I reached home, I unlocked the front door as quietly as possible. But the second it clicked, Romi’s head snapped up from the couch, clearly waiting for my return.“Mira?” Her voice was thick with sleep. “Is that you?”“Yes,” I whispered, dropping my keys on the table.Romi sat up fully, the blanket sliding off her shoulder. “Where have you been?”I paused.The way she was looking at me, worried, alert, already forming a thousand conclusions, made me feel like a teenager caught sneaking in after curfew.“You got me worried,” she added. “I even had to lie to Jesse. I told him you said you’d be out late so I wouldn’t ruin his… joyful mood.”“You did well,” I said, walking

“Cade, you have to let me go back to work.”He just looked at me while I protested, trying to find a way out of this office. Something about his silence made the fight drain out of my voice.I stopped arguing.Because the truth hit me all at once. I wasn’t trying to go back to work. Yes, I was angry about the “wife” thing, but that wasn’t what this was really about anymore.I was trying to avoid this conversation. The fact that we slept together.The moment I went quiet, Cade spoke.“Mira,” he said softly, “we slept together. And I need to know where that leaves us.”“There is no us,” I corrected immediately.“Okay,” he nodded. “Then I understand I still have to prove myself. That I have to earn you again. And I’m ready to put in the work.”I crossed my arms, refusing to let my chest tighten at the sincerity in his voice.“And the ‘my wife’ thing,” he continued, running a hand through his hair, “it really just came out. I didn’t know you were trying to keep it low.”I didn’t respond.

By the time I stepped out of Cade’s house, the letter folded carefully inside my bag, my decision had already been made.Running had finally exhausted me.I drove straight to the office.I walked to my desk and quietly packed my personal items into a box. A framed photo of Noah, a mug Romi bought me, and the small plant Ian once said I overwatered.Today would be my last day here.Since Ian had already left, there was no one to say goodbye to. So the moment I finished packing, I walked out without looking back.When I got home, Mom was in the kitchen, stirring something that smelled like garlic and onions.She looked up, surprised. “You’re home early.”“Noah?” I asked.“Preschool,” she replied. “Is everything alright?”I leaned against the counter. “Yeah. I just got tired of sneaking around.”A small smile tugged at her lips.Then she really looked at me.Her gaze softened.“How are you?” she asked gently.She’d noticed my eyes were still swollen.“I’m okay,” I said.She nodded, clear

Cade left me standing in that nursery. He didn’t slam the door; he just walked out quietly.I followed him down the hallway and watched as he disappeared into his bedroom. The door shut, and a second later, I heard the lock click.“Cade,” I called softly, knocking once.No response.“Please… don’t do this.”Silence.I leaned my forehead against the door. “I know you’re hurting. I know I deserve the anger. But don’t shut me out.”Still nothing.That silence began to scare me. Not because he was angry, I could handle anger. But because he might be spiraling inside his own head.I went back to the living room and sat on the couch.I waited for footsteps. Maybe he would come out for water. Anything.But as hours passed, the sky outside the windows darkened from gold to indigo.He never came out.Eventually, the weight of waiting became heavier than the silence. He wasn’t coming out tonight.So I left.When I got home, the house was silent. Everyone had gone to bed.I walked into my room a