Wealth of hearts

Chapter Three

Chloe

I walked away from Adam too quickly.

I knew it the moment his footsteps stopped behind me, the moment the air felt colder than it had seconds before. But stopping would have meant admitting that a stranger had unsettled me more than hunger, more than fear, more than the weight of everything I was carrying.

And I couldn’t afford that.

By the time I reached the bus stop, my heart was still racing. I kept replaying the way he had looked at me, not with pity, not with curiosity, but with something deeper. Like he’d seen through the cracks I worked so hard to hide.

I hated that.

I boarded the bus and found a seat by the window, clutching my bag to my chest as the city blurred past. My phone buzzed in my hand.

A message.

Unknown number.

Did you get home safe?

— Adam

I stared at the screen, pulse thudding.

How did he even get my number?

Then I remembered — my résumé. My contact details printed neatly at the top. I’d dropped it when my bag fell.

I should’ve ignored the message. I really should have.

Instead, I typed back.

I did. Thanks.

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

You looked like you were carrying more than just papers today.

My throat tightened.

I didn’t reply.

When I got home, Daniel was already there, sitting on the floor with his books spread around him. He looked up and smiled when he saw me.

“You’re back early.”

“Yeah,” I said, forcing cheer into my voice. “Long day.”

He studied me the way only someone who knows you too well can. “Did you find anything?”

I shook my head.

The smile faded, but he nodded anyway. Always nodding. Always understanding.

That night, after dinner rice stretched thinner than it should’ve been I lay awake staring at the ceiling, Adam’s message replaying in my mind.

You looked like you were carrying more than just papers.

No one had said that to me before.

Another buzz.

I hope tomorrow treats you better, Chloe.

I closed my eyes.

I didn’t know why his words felt different. Why they warmed me in a way that scared me. Why part of me wondered what his life looked like beyond those calm eyes.

I turned my phone face down.

I couldn’t afford distractions.

I couldn’t afford hope.

And yet, somewhere deep inside, a quiet voice whispered that this was only the beginning.