All Chapters of Claimed By My Best Friend’s Daddy: Chapter 41 - Chapter 43

Alicia’s POV Weeks later, I got a text from Rhys saying he got me something cute. The package arrived at the dorm front desk just after my afternoon lecture, wrapped in plain brown paper with no return address. I knew who it was from the second I saw it, my heart did a traitorous flip as I carried it upstairs, glancing over my shoulder like Mirabel might appear at any moment. I slipped into our room, locked the door, and tore it open on my bed. Inside was a small wooden box. Nestled in velvet lay a rare first-edition copy of Jane Eyre, the cover worn but beautiful, it pages edged in gold. My breath caught. I’d mentioned it once during the holidays, of how it was my ultimate book boyfriend fantasy in physical form. Rhys had remembered. I opened it carefully. Tucked inside the front cover was a handwritten note on heavy cream paper, his strong, decisive script unmistakable. Sunshine, Some stories deserve to be claimed again and again, just like you. I hope you enjoy this. —R My

Alicia’s POV The ride back to campus felt too short. I stared out the tinted window, my body still humming with the warmth of the weekend. I kept replaying Rhys’s steady voice telling me I wasn’t alone in this, the way he’d held me like I was something precious he refused to lose again. I was glowing differently, even when exhaustion tugged at my edges, and guilt sat heavy in my stomach like a stone. Mirabel was waiting when I pushed open the dorm door, legs crossed on her bed, eyes lighting up the second she saw me. “You’re back!” She jumped up and pulled me into a tight hug. “How was the literature retreat? Tell me everything. Was it amazing? Did you meet famous authors? Did you read until your eyes fell out?” I hugged her back, forcing a bright smile as I dropped my bag. “It was incredible, actually. Super intense but so much fun. We talked about classic romance tropes for hours, analyzed different books… and I took so many notes. You would’ve loved it. Next time they do one, I