Page 31

I couldn't help but stare at Maya driving.

Her beautiful, steady hands gripped the steering wheel, and just when I thought she hadn't noticed, she glanced at me—with those deep, dark eyes.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked, genuine curiosity in my voice.

"Wild guess."

Lily giggled from the back of the car.

I paused. "Is that so?" I asked, trying to get more out of her about why she'd rushed to get me.

Maya tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her gaze suddenly too intense for me to handle.

That's when I realized I'd struck a nerve.

"When you don't know where to go, you choose him."

I swallowed hard. "I guess everyone chooses who they want," I muttered, my eyes back on the road ahead of us.

I was talking about the blonde girl who was on her bed this morning...

"Not everyone makes the right choice," Maya shot back.

"Who says you get to decide what's right?" I asked rhetorically.

Somehow, I regretted saying it the second it left my mouth. I'm just trying to unravel what's really going on, but things escalated way too quickly.

At this point, it wasn't even teasing anymore—we just couldn't handle each other's frustration... and what felt a lot like... jealousy?

The silence was suffocating now.

"Neither do you, for that matter," Maya said, her tone equally defiant. She briefly met my eyes before fixing her gaze on the road. "But I won't mess with your life anymore."

Silence again.

Well, that's exactly what I wanted—so why do I suddenly feel so sad about it?

I felt my walls start to crumble, my heart reacting before my mind could catch up.

Why do I feel like crying?

Why is this affecting me so much?

Lily interrupted our tense silence with a nervous cough. "Hey, is it okay if I come to your place?"

Maya just nodded, wordless.

Neither of us dared to break the silence again. It was heavy—full of unspoken words and feelings that cut the air between us.

The longest, most uncomfortable minutes dragged on before we finally pulled up to the house. Maya turned off the car, and I quickly stepped out.

I opened the door, closed it behind me, and not even a second later, I found myself waiting—desperate for Maya to come in as well.

I just wanted her close—because I needed it—and to face everything left unsaid.

After several minutes, Lily opened the door, with no sign of Maya behind her.

"Where is she?" I asked quickly.

Lily laughed. "I told her to go for a walk—actually, I ordered it."

"Oh..." I whispered, disappointed. "Why?"

"Because I need to talk to you alone, Grace," Lily said, lowering her gaze as she sat on the stool in the living room.

"About what?"

Lily sighed deeply, her face turning serious. "About Nick."

FINALLY. Finally, someone explains this situation.

And judging from what happened before, I felt like Lily was the one who could finally clear things up.

"Okay, I will listen to you," I said immediately.

Lily shifted uncomfortably, her arms resting on her knees as she tried to calm herself and gather her thoughts.

That was weird. I didn't know her well yet, but she didn't seem like the type to act this nervous. She had the same reaction with Nick earlier.

"Lily, take your time..." I smiled to put her at ease.

"I'm going to tell you how things really are, Grace," she started. "Because I know for sure Maya didn't tell you anything about this." She shook her head, clearly frustrated with her best friend's behavior.

I nodded instantly.

"So..." she exhaled. "One year ago, I found myself falling in love with Nick, or at least, I thought I was..." her hands turned into fists.

I paused, fully processing her words. Deep down, I kind of expected it, but hearing it out loud made everything feel real.

"Maya kinda warned me about Nick. She absolutely hated the idea of him, was totally against it, but for me... Nick seemed really sweet and kind..."

I swallowed. That sounded exactly like my story. I gave a small nod, motioning for Lily to keep going.

"After hanging out for a bit, Nick was quick to push me into saying yes to being his girlfriend—like he already owned me before I even realized," Lily didn't hide her disdain.

"He was mostly sweet, like the perfect boyfriend.

But then there were these moments—when he turned rude, and insanely possessive. "

That's honestly terrifying.

"So possessive that he wouldn't let me hang out with my friends anymore—not even Maya, of course." Lily lowered her gaze, fidgeting with her hands, clearly uncomfortable with her confession.

I felt a knot tighten in my throat.

I wasn't even that surprised, it seemed like everything finally made sense now.

I just knew all this shit wasn't about Maya and Nick. I mean, I can't even imagine Maya dating a guy—it just feels so wrong. Ew.

"Maya did everything to make me understand that it wasn't love, but I was too involved to understand it," Lily shifted nervously.

I reached out, squeezing her arm to comfort her. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Lily, I had no idea..."

She nodded and continued her story, her expression steady but showing deep emotion. "One day—as he wanted to—we went to a pub. He kept offering me drink after drink until I was completely wasted..."

I froze. That sounds exactly like the night I spent with him at the pub.

He wouldn't stop pouring me drinks—so many that I can't even remember that night or what happened next.

He was practically forcing drinks on me.

"Nick purposely made me get drunk. I don't have any memory of that night... nothing except..." she paused. "The accident we got into."

My breath caught, and my eyes filled with tears as I squeezed Lily's arm, offering her support.

Both of us were on the verge of crying now.

"He was driving us to his place, but that asshole couldn't even bother to drive sober. He straight-up hit a light pole." Lily lowered her eyes, her hands shaking slightly.

A cold shiver ran down my spine as the weight of her words sank in.

An accident. Nick caused it.

"The asshole didn't even get a damn scratch. I was in a coma for a week."

"My God," I gasped, my voice shaking as I tried to hold back the tears.

I immediately pulled Lily into a hug. She sobbed softly into my shoulder, but soon wiped her tears and gave me a grateful smile.

"Hey, it's okay, Nick didn't kill me, it wasn't enough," she laughed, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Lily," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"You know, Grace, when I woke up, my parents told me that Maya had been with me day and night, never leaving my side. She's truly my best friend."

I started crying, but then I smiled softly through the tears.

"She really has a big heart, doesn't she?" Lily teased, a small grin appearing on her face.

I nodded, feeling something warm in my chest just thinking about Maya.

"So... since Nick's rich and a daddy's boy, he got away with 150 hours of community service at that crappy library."

My entire body just froze.

"Wait... so he works at the library because of that?!" I realized.

That explains why he works there—he's being forced to.

Lily nodded, clearly pissed off.

"You're telling me that he got you drunk, caused a very serious accident, and got away with just community service?" I insisted.

"Yes, Grace," Lily confirmed. "That's because he's fucking rich and his family is too powerful to let him go to jail."

My blood was boiling inside. This was so fucking unfair. How could someone cause so much damage and just walk away like nothing happened?!

"Lily, I'm so sorry to hear that. You didn't deserve any of it—it wasn't your fault at all," I said, meaning every word.

Nick is a fucking psychopath, and I had fallen right into his trap—his manipulation, his gaslighting.

I was so mad at myself.

How could I let this happen?

"Thanks, Grace, but it wasn't easy. No one believed me—only my parents, Maya and James," Lily said, her voice filled with frustration.

"I believe in you, one hundred percent, Lily," I immediately reassured her. "You can trust me. I'll help you, and together we'll make sure he pays for what he did."

And I mean it. Jesus, I do.

Lily quickly shook her head, almost frightened about this. "He's untouchable, Grace. Just stay away from him—like Maya warned you—before it's too late."

"Of course, I will, but—"

Lily cut me off. "Grace, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me, like Maya already did..."

I widened my eyes, fully realizing her words.

"Like Maya did?" I repeated. "Why? What did she do?"

"Well..." Lily almost laughed nervously. "That's Maya's story to tell. Not mine. She'll tell you when she's ready."

"But..." I insisted. "Maya never told me any of this. And I'm sure she won't tell me what she did..." I complained.

Lily slowly pushed herself up, her movements heavy. "She never told you because she still feels guilty about what happened to me, even though it's not her fault at all."

I sighed deeply, feeling an overwhelming rush of emotion.

Maya didn't deserve any of this. Neither Lily.

"It wasn't easy for her either. Can you imagine that? After everything she went through after her mom's death..." Lily tilted her head slightly, noticing my full distress.

I was in pain. I felt so bad for her.

"But it's okay now," Lily smiled, calmer. Then she looked at me and got serious. "Look, Grace, I know Maya's hard to deal with, but she's not as tough as she acts. If you want to get through to her, you have to try a little harder. She's got walls up for a reason."

I knew it from the beginning. I unconsciously tried pushing Maya's boundaries, hoping she'd open up to me, but she never did. She never let me in completely—only for brief moments, yes, but never fully.

It's okay. She's not ready yet. I'll wait for her. I'll also give her space until she's opens up about what she did to Nick...

Maya's literally been through so much, which is why she's so closed off.

Lily patted my shoulder as I fell into a thoughtful silence.

"I'm sure you guys will get through this," she added, her smirk in place now. "Just try not to burn down everything with all that tension—God," she giggled.

I smiled at her words as Lily left the house, then sank into the chair.

Knowing the truth left me somehow shocked and stuck.

I guess you don't fully realize you're being played until you snap out of it—and then it hits you even harder.

Suddenly I saw how naive I'd been—to mistrust Maya and be so blind to the truth. But now, all I wanted was to reach out and heal what was broken between us.

No more walls, no more distance. Just... her. And me.

That's all I'm asking for.