ART 5–CHAPTER 189
JESS
He stepped into view, and my heart skidded to a stop.
Luke.
I could barely breathe as the memories flooded me–moments of us laughing in the dark, our endless fights, the feel of his arms around me, stolen kisses, and every whispered word, every night spent in his My hands itched to reach for him, close the gap between us, and throw myself into his arms like no time had passed.
and then… the heat between us, t
armIS.
But he looked… different. The more I took him in, the less he seemed to be the Luke I remember. Luke had always carried an intensity, but this was something else entirely–something raw and sad that made me feel like I was staring at a stranger. It was like he’d aged a lifetime since we’d last seen each other.
“Luke,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
He looked up, and for a moment, he was just as lost as I was. His gaze softened as it locked onto mine, his jaw slightly slack. “Jess,” he murmured, the sound of my name on his lips breaking something inside me.
We stood there, suspended in a bubble that held only the two of us, and I felt every bit of the past rush between us like an electric current.
But then, out of nowhere, she appeared between us. The skinny
PART 5 CHAPTER 189
girl who opened the door.
“Earth to whoever the fuck you are…” She waved a hand in front of my face, her voice sharp and condescending. I blinked, thrown from the trance, my gaze snapping to her.
I barely had a chance to process before she scrutinized me with an eyebrow raised, her arms crossed as if she were staking her claim on him. “Why are you staring at my fiancé?” she sneered, the word hitting me like a punch to the gut. “Why is she staring at you, babe?”
Fiancé?
My mouth opened, and I felt the words slip out without even meaning to. “Fiancé?” I repeated, my voice a strangled whisper.
Her lips curled into a smirk, her head bobbing up and down with almost gleeful satisfaction. “Yeah, fiancé,” she repeated, a cold glint in her eyes, as if my surprise amused her. “What, he didn’t tell you?”
The world tilted, my mind racing to make sense of her words. I forced my gaze back to Luke, searching for any sign that this wasn’t real, that she was just twisting things, playing some cruel game. But he just stood there, silent, his face frozen in that same unreadable mask. Not moving, not saying a word.
“Luke… is she–you two are-” I stumbled over my words, hoping, praying, that he’d finally say something.
Anything.
“Well,” Francesca said, cutting me off with a sing–song tone, “technically, I’m more than his fiancée.” She flashed a
E
PARTS CHAPTER 184
triumphant smile, her hand settling on her stomach. “Luke here is my baby daddy.”
Her words hit like a sledgehammer, the ground seeming to tilt under me. Baby daddy. The phrase echoed in my mind, louder and louder, until I could barely think. I was vaguely aware of her hand resting on her flat belly as she grinned, the joy in her eyes. twisted into something smug, as if she’d just sealed the deal on some sick victory.
I stumbled back, each word slicing deeper than the last. My brain struggled to process it, to make sense of how any of this could be real. It felt like I was falling, like the world had shifted beneath me, and I was desperately trying to grab hold of something–anything–to steady myself.
“Luke?” I choked out, my voice barely a whisper, fighting back the stinging tears that were already slipping down my cheeks.
He stood there, frozen, his face drained of every hint of color. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but no words came. He looked like he’d been struck just as hard as I had, but the silence between us felt like a canyon that neither of us could cross.
I needed to get out of there.
Now.
Before I could stop myself, I turned and bolted down the hallway, my legs moving on autopilot. I didn’t stop, didn’t look back. The ache in my chest grew with every step, but I kept going, swallowing down the sob that was clawing its way up my throat. I needed to escape before the pain consumed me whole.
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BAHIS CHAUFFED 189
The last thing I saw before the ele Luke, still standing there, a statue And as the doors closed, sealing wasn’t a nightmare I could just wa
I’d lost him.
I’d lost my Luke and I don;t think
The last thing I saw before the elevator doors slid shut was Luke, still standing there, a statue trapped in his own silence. And as the doors closed, sealing ne off from him, it hit me–this wasn’t a nightmare I could just wake up from.
I’d lost him.
I’d lost my Luke and I don;t think I can get him back…
PART 5–CHAPTER 190
