==Layla==
My mother stood there at the top of the stairs, frowning.
Her eyes moved slowly from my flushed cheeks to my messy hair, then to Maddox standing too close behind me. The hallway felt suddenly too small.
“Layla?” she said, her voice careful. “You look… upset. Is everything alright?”
I forced a smile and tried to steady my breathing. “I’m fine, Mom. Just a little warm. We were talking about… the house. That’s all.”
She glanced at Maddox, then back at me. The suspicion in her eyes lingered for a long second. “Okay. Don’t stay up too late.”
She continued down the hallway toward her room. The moment her door clicked shut, I let out a shaky breath. Maddox’s hand brushed mine once before he walked away without another word.
That night I couldn’t stay in my room. The g
