جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

31~Velma’s POVI sat there on the bed with the television light flickering across the room like it was trying to tell me something I did not want to hear. My chest felt heavy, like someone had placed a stone inside it and told me to breathe around it. I kept staring at the news even when the report moved to something else. I did not blink much. I was just trying to understand how everything changed so suddenly.“I totally forgot about him,” I whispered to myself. My voice was shaking, and I hated that it did. “I forgot. I really forgot. After everything he did for me, I did not even check on him. What kind of person does that make me?”The words tasted bitter as they left my mouth. He was the only one who ever treated me like I was human in that house. Not just another body passing through cold, silent rooms. Not a problem to manage or a mistake to hide. He treated me like I mattered, even when I could not believe it myself.That house was full of cold eyes and walls that never spoke

33~Dylan’s POVI sat in my room, staring at my phone, irritation twisting in my chest. I knew Velma would not pick up, and yet I tried calling her anyway. Maybe I wanted her to be angry with me, maybe I wanted to hear her voice, maybe I just wanted to know she was okay. Every ring went through, and every time, it hit voicemail. Not going through. Not connecting. My thumb hovered over the screen for a long moment before I threw the phone onto the bed in frustration.I rubbed my face and leaned back, eyes closing. I could hear my own heartbeat, loud in my ears, mixing with the memory of my mother earlier. The way she had barged into my room, scolding me about Velma, about Eva, about what I should care for, about who I should be with. That confrontation had left me on edge, raw in a way I hated. I had wanted to argue, to yell, maybe even shut her up with one sharp word, but it was useless. She always had a way of getting under my skin and making it feel like the battle was already lost

35~Dylan’s POVHer voice was sharp but trembling just slightly. “You just barged in? Without knocking?”I held my hands up slowly, smiling just enough to ease the tension. “Crazy? Maybe a little,” I admitted, my voice low but controlled. “But I had to see you. I couldn’t wait. I need to know how you are feeling. You must have seen the news about your grandfather.”She took a small step back, holding her suit tighter. “And so? Dylan, you have no right to talk to me like you are familiar with me… what are you doing here? This is my space. You can’t just…”“I know,” I interrupted gently, my tone softening, trying to bridge the sudden distance between us. “I know it’s your space. But I wanted to see you. I had to check… see if you were okay this morning.”“Dylan! Are you insane?” she demanded, clutching her suit against her chest, voice firm but trembling just slightly. “We had an agreement. No personal feelings. This is work! Are you forgetting that?”I couldn’t take my eyes off her. My

37~Velma’s POVI was checking my suit again, frowning at a stubborn stain I hadn’t noticed before. The receptionist had told me about it earlier, and I wasn’t about to let it stay there. I carefully rubbed at the fabric, my mind elsewhere, when suddenly the door burst open. Dylan. Without knocking.My hand shot up instinctively, slapping him hard across the chest. “What is wrong with you?” I hissed, eyes blazing. “Do you know how rude that is? You barged in like this!”He blinked, startled, his mouth opening as if to say something, but I cut him off, shaking my head. I grabbed my phone, dialing Elena immediately. “Elena, I need you to set a meeting with Helena. Yes, as soon as possible. Thank you,” I said quickly, ignoring the look Dylan was giving me.I drove to Helena’s gallery, letting the hum of the engine calm the tension I still felt from earlier. The city passed by in a blur of lights and sounds, but my mind was somewhere else, churning over the day’s events. When I finally wa

39~Velma’s POVBy the time I got to the hotel, the sky was already a dark shade of blue with faint traces of purple floating behind the clouds. The building lights glowed like something out of a postcard, warm and soft, like a place that was supposed to feel like home. I pulled into the driveway slowly, tired in a way that had nothing to do with my body. I stopped the car, switched off the engine, and leaned back for a second with my eyes closed.Jaden had fallen asleep along the ride, his head resting against the window. I did not want to wake him, but I reached over and stroked his cheek gently. “We are here, my love,” I whispered.His eyes opened slowly, and he blinked away the sleep. I unbuckled him, lifted him out of the car, and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He was heavy because he had grown, but I held him like I always did.We walked into the hotel, the lobby smelling faintly of lemon polish and air freshener. I greeted the receptionist with a tired smile and went