"Back then, all you thought about was Damien Pierce, and you even kept your distance from us. I didn't dare tell you how we felt."
"I was afraid you'd figure it out."
"Afraid you would want to run away."
Back then, their bond had just begun to form. What if she had shown a hint of disgust?
It was better to bury it all.
And so, the feelings inevitably fermented, step by step, pulling them deeper until they couldn't escape.
"I'm not hiding anything from you anymore. I've told you... everything," Chase Shaw said.
He had sliced his heart open and laid it bare for her to see.
"Chase, isn't this exhausting?" Zoe Pierce's fingers traced the lines of his face. His features, usually cold and hard, now let her touch them freely, wantonly.
Just hearing herself say it, she felt a pang of bitterness.
She had never had a secret crush on anyone, yet she could empathize with the emotion in Chase's words, with his cautiousness.
And she was the object of it all.
