The sky was clearer here. I looked up at the stars, blinking back


    another wave of tears. I didn’t cry this time. Just breathed.


    Ten minutes passed. Maybe fifteen.


    The sound came all at once.


    Crunch.


    Snap.


    Step. Step.


    I froze.


    That wasn’t Ava.


    Ava couldn’t have arrived so soon. No vehicle sounds, no


    shlight beam cutting through the trees, no familiar voice


    calling my name. Just the rustle of leaves, deliberate and slow,


    like someone trying to move quietly… but not quite seeding.


    My heart dropped.


    I stayedpletely still, barely even breathing.


    Another twig snapped.


    Whoever it was–was close.


    I clenched the phone in my hand, trying not to panic, but every


    instinct in my body was screaming.


    Olivia’s POV


    The crunch of leaves grew louder behind me.


    I froze.


    My body was already trembling from fatigue and cold, but now the air felt thinner. Every step I had taken up that hill felt wasted. I turned, heart pounding, and tried to peer into the dark,


    but I saw nothing.


    Then-


    A firm hand grabbed my arm from the side.


    I screamed.


    “Olivia!” a deep voice hissed, grabbing my shoulders to steady <ol><li>me. </li></ol>


    My scream died mid–breath.


    “Alexander?”


    The moonlight spilled just enough light to confirm it. He was here. In person. Hair wind–tossed, shirt rumpled, breath short-


    as if he’d sprinted thest stretch.


    “What are you doing?” he said sharply, scanning me from head


    to toe. “Why didn’t you respond to the call?”


    I blinked up at him, heart racing for an entirely different reason


    now. “I… I didn’t hear it,” I said weakly. “Tinnitus. It’s been acting


    up since earlier.”


    His jaw tightened. “You’re bleeding again. Do you even care


    about your injuries?”


    I looked down. I hadn’t even noticed. “It didn’t matter. I couldn’t


    stay in that car.”


    “Why do you always find such troubles. Dammit, Olivia.”


    I didn’t know if I should feel ashamed or touched that he was


    this angry. Maybe both.


    “I don’t know,” I said, lowering my eyes. “I just wanted to get


    things done smoothly.”


    Alexander exhaled through his nose and looked away for a second, then bent down and swept me into his arms.


    I flinched. “Wait, I can-”


    “No, you can’t,” he snapped. “Let me do this onest time. Because you got injured for mypany, not because you


    made another reckless choice!


    His words hit me harder than they should have. I looked up at


    him as he carried me back down the slope.


    The night air was cool, brushing against my cheeks as Iy


    quietly in his arms. I could feel the tension in his muscles–not


    from strain, but something else. His grip was firm, secure. There


    was no shaking in his steps. Only purpose.


    He carried me all the way down to where my own car had been


    parked.


    “I–how did you even get here?” I asked, the question slipping


    out without thought. “Did… did you know where I was all this


    time?”


    Alexander didn’t respond at first. He set me gently in the


    backseat and closed the door behind me. I watched him circle


    around and get in.


    “Did you send someone to follow me?” I pressed.


    He just kept riding without replying me.


    I fumbled for my phone and quickly typed out a message to


    Ava.


    Me: I’m safe. Alexander found me.Ava: OMG. I KNEW IT. He came himself?? See??? He totally has feelings for you!!!


    I stared at her reply, unsure whether tough or groan. Ava


    could never resist turning everything into romantic drama.


    Still, her words lingered.


    I swallowed, the silence around me feeling heavier. My fingers


    hovered over the keyboard before I typed again.


    Me: He probably just doesn’t want awsuit.Ava: Or maybe… hecares. And you’re just blind to it.Me: He’s not into me. Honestly, I’m not even sure he likes women.


    I slumped back into the seat, suddenly embarrassed by my own


    assumptions.


    “He probably doesn’t even like women…”


    Why had I typed that?


    I sighed, and closed my eyes.


    I regretted saying it. Not because I cared what Ava believed, but because deep down… maybe I didn’t want to be so wrong about


    him.


    Ethan’s POV


    The second I returned and saw the backseat empty, my stomach


    dropped.


    <b>Chapter </b>64


    She <b>was </b><b>gone</b>.


    Gone, despite her injured leg. Gone, despite the locked <b>doors</b>.


    “Damn it!” I roared, mming the door shut so hard the <b>entire </b>car shook. I spun around and scanned the woods, breathing hard. She couldn’t have gone far. Not in her condition.


    That thought knifed through my chest. I ran toward the road, my strides uneven as the sting of my own wound reminded me just how messed up this night had turned.