Jacob POV
I hid my true intentions from both Emilio and Adrienne by pretending to be drunk. It was a cold, calculated ruse designed to expose the truth behind Adrienne’s relentless pursuit of my best friend. I watched her through half-closed eyes as she repeatedly tampered with my drink, deliberately mixing the alcohol to cloud my judgment. What she failed to realize was that alcohol had never been my weakness; her assumptions, however, were. My performance was a carefully prepared trap, and she stepped into it without realizing it.
To ensure Emilio would be forced to walk me home, I had to perform my role with convincing precision. I felt a sharp, bitter sting when she was so quick to clarify that she was merely my neighbor, a desperate attempt to erase the two years we had shared from
