I will.
With her.
Just once was all it took. Seeing her again has rewired something inside me and sparked the part I thought was long dead.
She smiles then. “I’ll see you later, then.”
And I nod, even though every instinct in me screams that this is dangerous. Because for the first time since walking away from her years ago, I feel like I’mfinallydoing something that just might save my life.
Micah and I sit in a corner booth of the café, away from the glass windows, the smell of espresso and cinnamon twisting my stomach.
He scrolls his phone lazily, his sunglasses perched low on his nose. “You look lost in thought,” he says.
“Maybe I am.” I stab at the ice in my drink with the straw. “I want to get the fuck out of their clutches, Micah.”
His head snaps up, eyes narrowing.“Out?Is that what you really wanna work towards, man?”
“Yeah. I’m done being their puppet. Nolan, Adriana. Now Alexei. That fucking guy I don’t know anything about yet. I don’t care. I want out.”
He leans forward, lowering his voice. “And how the hell do you plan to do that? I get that you saw your ex and now you’re suddenly inspired and all, but we’ve been trapped foryears. We’vetriedleaving before, if you remember. And look how thatturned out. We’ve even tried fuckingkillingourselves and that didn’t work.”
I shrug, pretending it doesn’t feel like lead in my chest remembering our joint overdose. Adriana had stormed in and called an ambulance. “Not sure yet. But at least I can see her.”
His brow furrows. He studies me for a long second, then exhales slowly. “Just be careful,” he pauses, leaning in and lowering his voice. “They’ll kill her, Jude.”
The words hit hard. I look away, jaw tight. “I won’t let that happen.”
“Still.” He taps his fingers against the table. “You don’t even know where she stands now. What if she’s—”
He hesitates.
“What?” I snap.
“What if she’s moved on?”
Damn it. I hadn’t even thought about that.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, yanking out my phone. My thumb hovers over her name for a second before I finally hitunblock.
Micah whistles. “Oh boy. Here we go.”
“Shut up,” I mutter, already scrolling through her socials. Her profile picture loads—her smile still soft in that familiar way, but she looks...brighter somehow. Healthier. There’s this guy in one of the photos. Blonde, gym body, blue eyes. His arm’s around her waist like he’sdefinitelybeen fucking her.
My stomach twists. “Fuck,” I say again, quieter this time.
Micah leans over to peek. “That the guy?”
“Guess so.”
He squints. “Hold on.” He takes my phone from me while I control the spiral threatening to take hold. “She’s not following him anymore, though. Probably broke up.”
“Yeah?”
He shrugs, handing my phone back. “I’m just saying. She doesn’t look like someone still tied down. Not with the way she was watching you last night.”
I exhale, running a hand through my hair. The thought of her being with someone else makes my chest hurt.
Micah nods. “I’m sure she still loves you. Your story was cut short by the bitch and the bastard.”