River
Ever since Rhett said those words, they’ve been stuck in my head—
“You already know how I feel about her. Remember this: she’ll only ever be mine. I won’t let Ayla fall into your hands.”
The way he said it—cold voice, threatening stare sharp enough to cut through skin, and that little smirk like he was delivering a death sentence instead of a warning—it’s all still so damn clear in my memory.
But instead of scaring me off, it lit a fire inside me. I’ve never been the type to back down just because someone told me to. If Rhett thinks I’m gonna walk away, he’s dead wrong.
Ayla’s too important to me. Too precious to just give up.
I tightened my grip on my phone. My pulse was hammering, but not out of fear—out of determination. I had to tell her how I felt. Soon. I couldn’t keep pu
