nineteen and unravelling 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 21 - 챕터 30

Kelsey's POV ​The crisp, freezing night air slapped my face the second I pushed through the glass doors, but it didn't do a single thing to cool the burning, suffocating heat spreading through my chest. ​I was walking—no, stumbling—blindly into the dark, away from the glittering lights of the reception hall, away from the laughter, away from the absolute wreck my life had just become in the span of sixty seconds. My heels clicked unevenly against the concrete path until I couldn't bear the sound anymore. I ripped them off, the freezing pavement biting into my bare soles, but I barely felt it. ​I couldn't breathe. ​I stopped by the edge of the campus lake, my hands gripping the cold iron back of a stone bench facing the dark, rippling water. A sharp, ragged gasp left my mouth, but the oxygen trapped itself in my throat, refusing to reach my lungs. I was panting, my chest heaving up and down in desperate, violent jerks as a full-blown panic attack locked its claws into me. ​"Just t

The engine of Bianca's compact car was still idling loudly when I stepped out of Dom's apartment building. ​Chris was already out of the passenger seat before I even reached the pavement. He threw his arms around me so tight I could barely breathe, his familiar scent of expensive sandalwood and laundry detergent instantly grounding me. "Oh my god, Kelsey. Don't you ever do that to me again! We've been driving around campus for hours. We almost called the police!" ​"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice thick as I hugged him back, then pulled away to wrap Bianca in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry. I just... I couldn't be there." ​"We know, honey. We know," Bianca murmured, rubbing my arm. Her eyes drifted past my shoulder, landing on the entrance of the building. ​Dom had followed me down, carrying my black clutch and the heels I'd left on his floor. He stood leaning casually against the brick pillar, his hands stuffed into his sweatpants pockets, the breeze catching his dark curls. ​C

The drive back to our quiet, tree-lined suburban neighborhood was a quiet, suffocating blur. I kept my phone turned off for most of the trip, refusing to look at the photos of Talia that still lingered on my camera roll, or the unanswered calls from Malik that had finally stopped a few days ago. ​Stepping into our home, however, felt like a warm, protective embrace. The house smelled of my mum's signature slow-roasted herb chicken, fresh gingerbread, and the faint, sweet scent of the vanilla candles she always lit during the holidays. My dad, warm and grounding, practically lifted me off my feet the moment I walked through the door. My mum, my absolute anchor, held me so tight I felt the icy, protective armor I'd built over the last two weeks begin to thaw. ​But I couldn't tell them. Not yet. My pride wouldn't let me. I didn't want to ruin their Christmas with the pathetic story of how my childhood best friend and my perfect boyfriend had ruined my life. So, I played the part of the

Three hours after Chris returned with the Thai takeout, the sharp, rhythmic knock on the dorm room door didn't sound like a typical college student. It was firm, deliberate, and entirely unexpected. ​Bianca looked up from her laptop, a makeup brush paused mid-air. "Are we expecting a package?" ​"No," I murmured, frowning as I pushed myself up from my floor mattress and padded across the room to open the door. ​The moment the handle turned, my breath caught in my throat. ​Standing in the harsh fluorescent lighting of the hallway, wearing a flawless camel-hair trench coat, a cream cashmere sweater, and a warm, elegant smile, was my mother. She held a massive, premium bakery box in one hand and her designer handbag in the other, looking like she had stepped straight off a high-fashion mood board. ​"Mum!" I gasped, instantly throwing my arms around her neck. ​"Oh, my sweet girl," she murmured, hugging me fiercely, her familiar, comforting lavender-and-vanilla scent instantly wrappin

​I didn't wait for Dom to reply. I didn't want to see the frustration in his eyes turn into something softer, or worse, something pitying. I just turned on my heel, the hem of my black slip dress brushing against my calves, and walked back into the warmth of the crowded house. ​But escaping him wasn't that easy. ​When the party finally started winding down around two in the morning, Bianca and I realized her brand-new SUV was completely boxed in by three different cars in the narrow driveway. With Chris and Leo practically attached at the hip, Leo immediately offered a solution. ​"Dom can drive us," Leo said, his arm wrapped securely around Chris's waist. "He didn't drink, and his car is parked out on the main street." ​Which was how I found myself pressed against the passenger door in the backseat of Dom's vintage, dark-gray Jeep, staring pointedly out the window. Chris and Leo were in the front, completely lost in their own sweet, quiet bubble, murmuring to each other and holdin