Lahat ng Kabanata ng Play Me Like You Mean It: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

Living with the guilt was worse than the act itself. It was slower, eating at me steadily like swallowing glass one piece at a time.I kept waiting for the day it would dull, but it didn’t. It sat under my skin, humming.There was no one I could tell. Jesse was too young; Drew would dramatize it; and Zayne, he was the last person who should ever hear the truth, and he was far away in Canada.That left Romi.She’d been scarce lately since landing a better job. I’d practically bullied her out of that depressing café months ago, and now she managed events for a fashion startup. Her voice on the phone sounded lighter than I’d ever heard it.“It’s my day off today,” she said. “You sound weird. Are you alright? You know what, come over.”I didn’t think twice. I grabbed my keys and drove, gripping the wheel tight while vibing to trap songs, letting the beat distract me.When I got to Romi’s apartment, she opened the door barefoot, hair piled up. Her space was warm, small, and messy in the be

I just kept staring at Zayne, waiting for him to laugh and say he was joking.How did we get to the part where he was asking me to marry him?But the longer I looked, the more I realized he was serious. There was no trace of humor in his face, only the weight of every word he had said.“Zayne,” I breathed, trying to laugh, trying to find some balance. “You can’t be serious. You probably didn’t think this through.”“I did.” His voice was firm, not a hint of doubt in it. “I’m tired, Mira. Tired of pretending that what we have isn’t worth fighting for. I don’t want to keep circling the pain. I want to start over.”The weight of his forgiveness settled against my chest until it hurt to breathe. It was too much, too kind, and I didn’t deserve it, definitely not this soon.“Why?” I asked softly. “Why do you still want me after everything?”His answer came without pause. “Because I still believe in us, even when you don’t. I want to teach you how to love me.”My heart ached in the most tende

Lauren reached out again about the Harper Magazine feature, insisting I accept the interview. According to her, it was a major opportunity and career changing.I told her honestly that I didn’t feel like doing it. It was already enough that I was not being honest with myself. Now she expected me to sit in front of a camera and lie through my teeth to thousands of readers. I did not think I could pull that off.She had been pestering me for days. Calls, texts, voice notes. When I ignored one, she sent another. Her persistence was one of the things I usually admired, but this time it felt suffocating. I had no intention of letting her drag me into a public fairytale I did not have the strength to pretend for. Especially now that the buzz around the engagement had died down. I was not about to resurrect it.My weekend calendar was finally free, and I planned to spend it doing absolutely nothing. I sat on the couch flipping through Netflix titles, searching for anything that felt light en

Packing for Canada felt like packing for a break I needed and was not ready for at the same time.I folded clothes into my suitcase while Jesse stood at the doorway with his arms crossed, watching me like I was doing something suspicious.“So you’re really going?” he asked.“Yes,” I said, zipping up the small bag. “Just for a while. Zayne thinks the noise will calm down if we disappear a bit.”“And you think that is a smart idea?”“It is temporary,” I said. “I will come back. You will survive without me for two weeks. Romi will be here with you. I know you love that part.”He didn’t laugh. He just stared at me for a moment, taking in my face, my posture, the way I moved.Then he said, “You haven’t been looking good lately.”I paused.“What? Is this your way of talking me out of it? You can just say you will miss me.”“I am serious,” he said. “You are tired all the time. Pale. You get breathless fast. You barely eat. You are not fine.”“It is stress, Jesse. Half the internet hates me a

Cade didn’t move at first. He kept staring at me with a tight, confused focus, like he was trying to make sense of everything at once.“You’re pregnant,” he said again. Slower this time.I pulled my blanket up a little, suddenly feeling exposed. “Yes.”He walked closer and sat carefully on the edge of the bed.“So it’s true,” he muttered. “When I heard you fainted, I called someone from the hospital to find out what happened. I…” He dragged a hand over his face. “I panicked. A lot went through my mind.”He shook his head slightly. “When they mentioned pregnancy, I told myself the person must’ve heard wrong. But hearing it from you…” He let out a breath that almost sounded like it hurt. “So this is how we end.”The words stung. Not because they were cruel, but because they were raw and honest.He stared at the floor like it suddenly made sense to him. “I thought we’d at least end in a way that didn’t feel like this. But you… pregnant, carrying a child that isn’t mine… that’s a lot to p