All Chapters of Arrested Feelings: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The shift from day to night felt as sudden as a change in someone’s mood.It had been hot earlier, uncomfortably so. But by evening, the wind picked up without warning, followed by a steady drizzle that soon settled over the city.After finishing a long day of work, Asher headed home alone.He walked through the night under a black umbrella. Raindrops tapped against the fabric in a steady rhythm. He frowned slightly, and for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, the rain made him think of the girl he’d seen at the station earlier.Somehow, thinking about her on a rainy night felt… natural.He was already halfway home when he passed a small neighborhood garden park in Riverside and suddenly stopped.Most people without umbrellas were hurrying through the rain, eager to get home.But one person wasn’t.She sat on the edge of a flower bed, her school uniform soaked through. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, her gaze fixed blankly on the ground. Rain fell freely over her expressionless

Maybe it was guilt that made Asher personally drive Camila to school that morning.For once, she didn’t try to cause trouble. That alone was rare enough to make even him suspicious.A girl who usually bristled like she was covered in thorns had suddenly become quiet and obedient. Even Asher found it strange.It wasn’t until they were both standing at the front gate of her high school in Riverside that he was finally convinced she wasn’t planning to run.“Go in.”His voice carried that unmistakable authority of a police officer. The slight lift of his chin as he motioned for her to head inside was oddly commanding. In uniform, cap still on, he had a kind of presence that was impossible to ignore up close.This was the real kind of uniform appeal.Camila pressed her lips together. After a long pause, she finally muttered, “I didn’t bring my backpack.”Asher frowned.He’d been out of high school for years. For a second, he had honestly forgotten students actually needed backpacks.After

The whole morning had been a little easier because of Liam’s help. By lunchtime, though, Camila was already rushing out of school. Just half a day had felt like an entire year.Even though sitting next to Liam had made things a little less unbearable, she had no intention of staying for afternoon classes.A part of her was scared, and a part of her still wanted to get into a good university.But getting into a good school was no longer the thing she cared about most.She didn’t believe she could catch up with the class anymore, and compared to staying on campus, surrounded by whispers, strange looks, and endless judgment, it felt easier just to stay away.What mattered most to her now was something else entirely:making her coldhearted father suffer,punishing the stepmother who was still free,and getting revenge on the police who had let a murderer walk.And when she thought about the police, she inevitably thought of Asher. He was different from every officer she had ever met.Afte

Only about ten dollars remained in Camila’s pocket, and hunger was starting to sound at her stomach. What could she even eat with that?With her backpack slung over one shoulder, Camila wandered the streets for a long time before finally stopping at a small noodle shop in downtown Seattle. She ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, a plain bowl of noodles.The weather was warm, and the steam rising from the broth made most people sweat, but Camila barely noticed the heat. She ate slowly, taking tiny bites, almost like she was trying to make the meal last as long as possible.By the time she finished, it was nearly time to head back for afternoon classes.Still seated, she pulled out the few wrinkled bills she had left, carefully smoothed them flat, stacked them neatly, then tucked them away before leaving the restaurant with her backpack.Asher was a police officer. Finding a teenage girl in his precinct who had nowhere to go during lunch wasn’t difficult. He only checked two or thre

Asher had gotten into the habit of walking Camila home.Tonight was no different.Once again, he stopped at the gate of her house, a two-story suburban villa tucked away in a quiet neighborhood. Camila didn’t go inside right away. Instead, she stood there, staring up at the second floor, toward the window of her bedroom.The window had been sealed shut. Thick metal bars, security bars, had been installed across it, making escape impossible.It was almost absurd. ‘What kind of parents used heavy-duty security bars not just to keep intruders out… but to keep their own daughter in?’Camila kept her gaze fixed on the window for a long moment bef