JADE's POV
Days had passed since our last conversation, and the silence between us felt suffocating. I didn’t realize how much I relied on him—his voice, his presence, his very existence—until he wasn’t there. The distance made my chest ache, and the walls I had so carefully built around myself felt weaker, especially when it came to him.
Against him, I had no defenses left. I was utterly vulnerable.
When he called and said he wanted to talk, my heart leaped before I could stop it. Excitement bubbled up, threatening to break my composure, but I forced myself to sound calm, even indifferent. I invited him over, though the truth was, I had been wanting to call him first. I owed him an apology, and now I had my chance.
James’s accusations had been weighing on me, but as the days passed,
