Forbidden: His Father's Desire

Chapter 10: The Text

SANDRA’S POV

Morning comes too fast, real life doesn’t wait. Campus is loud, full, alive in a way that feels wrong after everything that happened. Students walking, laughing, talking like nothing is broken, nothing changed.

But everything changed for me. I walk through the crowd, my bag on my shoulder, my steps steady even though nothing inside me feels steady.

I’d hoped today would feel normal. It doesn’t. It feels like I’m pretending.

“Hey!” I don’t even need to turn. Lena catches up to me, falling into step beside me like she always does, like nothing can stop her when she decides something matters.

She looks at me once, properly. Her brows pull together. “You look like a mess.”

“I’m okay,” I say too quickly. She gives me a look. “You’re not.”

“I said I’m fine.” My voice comes out flatter this time. She doesn’t push right away. We keep walking. People pass us, voices blending together, life continuing like it always does. “I called you last night,” Lena says after a second.

“I know.”

“You hung up on me.”

“I was tired.” She lets out a small breath. “I don’t think that’s the case.” I don’t answer because she’s right and I don’t want to explain anything yet. Maybe not at all. We walk in silence for a bit, side by side, the normal routine trying to settle around us again.

Then my phone vibrates in my hand. I glance down.

Unknown number. One message. *Meet me.* My chest tightens instantly. I don’t need to ask who it is. I already know.

Kelvin. I stare at the screen for a second too long. “You going to answer that?” Lena asks, glancing at my phone. “No.” But I don’t delete it either. I just hold it there, my fingers tightening slightly.

I shouldn’t go, I know that. Everything in me knows that. This is already too much but the thought of not going feels worse. “I’ll see you later,” I tell Lena suddenly. She frowns. “Wait, where are you…….”

“I’ve got something to do.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You keep saying that.”

I don’t respond. I just turn and walk away before she can stop me. Because if I stay, I might change my mind and I already know I won’t. I’m going.

***** KELVIN’S POV *****

I get there first. I don’t like waiting. I don’t like uncertainty. And right now, I’ve got both. The coffee shop is quiet enough, tucked into a street that doesn’t draw too much attention, the kind of place people come to sit, not to be seen.

Safe or as safe as this can be. I sit at a table near the window, watching the door without making it obvious, my coffee untouched in front of me.

I shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have sent that message. I definitely shouldn’t be waiting for her but I am.

The door opens, she walks in and everything shifts again. She spots me quickly, her steps slowing just a little before she walks over, careful, like she’s already putting walls up before we even speak. She sits across from me.

Silence. I don’t waste time. “I need to know,” I say, my voice steady. “Are you with Austin or not?” She doesn’t answer right away. Her fingers rest on the table, still, but not relaxed. “It’s complicated.”

I shake my head slightly. “Uncomplicate it.” Her eyes lift to mine. “I can’t. Not yet.”

“Why?”

“My father.” Her voice softens just a little there. “He needs this deal. Everything depends on it.” I lean back slightly, studying her. “I told you already.” She watches me carefully. “I’ll invest regardless. That’s not leverage.”

She freezes, like she didn’t expect that. “You would still do it?” she asks quietly.

“Yes.”

“No conditions?”

“No conditions.” Silence falls again. Her breath changes slightly. “That changes things,” she says.

“It should.” She looks away for a second, like she’s thinking too much, like she’s trying to catch up with something that just moved too fast.

Then she looks back at me. “Nothing can happen while I’m with him.” Her voice is steady now. I don’t interrupt. “I’ll end it properly,” she continues. “No confusion or overlap.”

I nod once. “That’s fair.”

“And after that…...” she hesitates slightly. “We decide.” The words sit there between us. Not a promise or a plan. “Alright,” I say simple but it means more than it sounds.

She stands after a moment. “I’ll handle it,” she says. I nod. I don’t stop her this time, I don’t follow. I just watch her walk out.

***** SANDRA’S POV *****

I don’t go back to class. I don’t go home either. I go straight to Austin. Because if I don’t end this now, I won’t and I need to. I’ve told myself that already. I reach his place and push the door open without knocking.

“Sandra,” he says, like he’s relieved to see me. I don’t return it. “We need to talk.” My voice is steady. He exhales slightly, like he expected this. “Yeah, we do.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.” I shake my head. “No, you’re not.” He steps closer. “I told my dad,” he says suddenly. I frown. “Told him what?”

He looks at me like this is obvious. Like I should already know. “That we’re getting engaged.” Everything stops. My breath. My thoughts. Everything.