All Chapters of When We Fall: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 1 PART 1: “I Saw Him…” “I don’t believe this is how I met Ethan again after so many years.” The words formed in my head before I could stop them. They hovered there, heavy and unreal, like I’d said them out loud to an empty room. Did he see me? Did he not? I still didn’t know the answer, and that scared me more than I cared to admit. Oh sorry. My name is Maya Lancaster. I’m twenty-six years old. I’m the daughter of a billionaire. I’m the CEO of a beauty brand people call fast-rising, unstoppable, visionary. And none of that mattered the moment I saw him again. I stood behind my office desk now, fingers resting lightly on the smooth marble surface, the city stretching endlessly beyond the glass walls. From forty floors up, everything looked small. Cars crawled like insects. People were dots moving with purpose. Power hummed quietly around me this office, this building, this life I built with my own hands after leaving the country. My assistant knocked softly before ent

CHAPTER 3 PART 1 walking distance The night air wrapped around them as they moved away from the noise of the courtyard. Music faded behind them, replaced by the softer sounds of campus at night footsteps on pavement, distant laughter, the low hum of streetlights. Ethan didn’t touch her, but he walked close enough that Maya could feel the warmth of him through the thin space between their arms. It was deliberate. She noticed. “So,” she said, breaking the silence easily, “you always escape parties this fast?” “I don’t usually come to them,” he replied. “Yet here you are.” He glanced at her briefly. “You’re observant.” “I like knowing what I’m getting into.” “That makes one of us.” She smiled at that, turning her head slightly to look at him. Up close, his face was sharper than she remembered strong jaw, focused eyes, the kind of calm that felt earned, not practiced. “You’re not what I expected,” she said. “And what did you expect?” She shrugged lightly. “Someone louder.

CHAPTER 5 PART 1 — THE PLACE HE HIDES Maya woke before her alarm. That almost never happened. For a moment, she lay still, staring at the ceiling, the memory of Ethan’s last message hovering just beneath her thoughts. Tomorrow. Come with me. No explanation. No reassurance. Just trust. She rolled onto her side and checked her phone. No new messages. The silence didn’t make her anxious it made her curious. By late afternoon, she was ready. She wore something simple again, comfortable jeans, flat shoes, a light jacket. Nothing that announced who she was, or where she came from. Somehow, she knew that mattered today. She was waiting near the campus gate when she heard the engine. The sound was unmistakable now. She turned just as Ethan pulled up on his motorbike, helmet on, posture easy and familiar. He cut the engine and removed the helmet, meeting her eyes. “You ready?” he asked. She smiled. “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.” He handed her a spare helmet. “I

CHAPTER 7 PART 1 BLOOD IS NOT ALWAYS WARM The gates closed behind Maya with a sound that echoed too loudly in her chest. The Lancaster estate looked the same as it always had wide driveway, manicured hedges, lights glowing softly behind tall glass windows but the familiarity didn’t comfort her tonight. It suffocated her. She stepped out of the car slowly, smoothing her jacket, steadying her breath. Her driver avoided her eyes, hands tight on the steering wheel. “Good night, Miss,” he said carefully. Maya nodded and walked toward the house alone. The front door opened before she reached it. Her mother stood there. Elegant. Controlled. Furious. “You came home late,” her mother said. Maya stepped inside without answering. The door shut behind her with a final click. “I asked you a question,” her mother said sharply. “I heard you,” Maya replied. “I don’t owe you an explanation.” The slap came without warning. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just sharp enough to turn Maya’s hea