I walked down the hallway toward Sylvia’s room. The polished wooden floor was cool beneath my sneakers, and the quiet mansion was filled with the faint scent of fresh flowers.
Stopping in front of her door, I raised my hand and knocked.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The door opened almost immediately.
I looked Sylvia over.
She wore an oversized T-shirt with a Minnie Mouse print on the front, the soft fabric hanging comfortably over her body. It was paired with a light blue denim mini skirt that hugged her waist and ended high on her thighs, leaving her long legs completely on display.
She wore black sneakers, while her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders in soft, silky waves.
She looked beautiful.
But —
I frowned, my eyebrows pulling together.
"Babe."
I pointed at her skirt.
Sylvia blinked before following my finger. She looked down at herself, then lifted her head again.
"What?" she asked, genuinely confused. "Is there something wrong with my skirt?"
I folded my arms across my chest and looked away with a quiet huff.
"Go and change it."
"Huh?"
She lowered her head again, staring at the skirt for another second as if trying to figure out what I was seeing.
Then a smile slowly spread across her face.
"Oh..."
She finally understood. Her smile widened as she looked back at me.
"So possessive."
A faint warmth crept onto my cheeks.
I looked away even more, pretending not to hear her.
"Just go and change."
Her smile only grew. "You’re so cute."
She laughed softly. "Okay," she said before turning around and walking back into her room.
I waited outside, leaning lightly against the wall.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
This time, Sylvia stepped out wearing a pair of olive-green cargo pants that hung loosely over her legs.
She spread her arms a little and smiled.
"Better now?"
I looked her over from head to toe before nodding.
"Much better."
She laughed softly and walked over to me.
"So adorable."
I raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You."
She slipped her fingers around my arm and leaned against me.
"When you’re possessive"
"I’m not possessive."
"No?" She tilted her head, her smile turning even more playful.
"I just didn’t like the skirt."
"Mhm." She nodded as though she completely believed me. "I know."
I looked away, trying to hide the smile threatening to spread across my face.
She reached up and gently pinched my cheek. "I just think you’re really cute."
Heat crept into my face. I caught her wrist before she could tease me again and intertwined our fingers instead.
"Let’s go."
I turned and started walking toward the staircase.
Sylvia walked beside me, still smiling to herself.
Even without looking at her, I could feel her eyes on me.
I shook my head with a quiet smile.
She really was impossible.
I stopped mid-step.
"My phone."
Sylvia looked at me, her brows lifting slightly.
"What is it?"
I turned to face her.
"I forgot my phone in your room."
A small smile tugged at her lips.
Without a word, she slipped her hand into the pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out my phone.
"I figured you did."
She held it out to me. "So I brought it with me."
I couldn’t help smiling. "Thanks."
Our fingers brushed as I took it from her before slipping it into my pocket.
"You’re welcome."
We continued down the staircase. The foyer was as elegant as ever, its crystal chandelier casting a warm glow across the marble floor.
"Sir Martin," I called.
The butler appeared almost immediately, as though he’d been waiting nearby.
He already had my car keys in hand.
"Miss."
He gave a polite nod before placing the keys in my palm.
"Thank you."
I curled my fingers around them and made my way toward the front door.
Sylvia followed a step behind me.
The moment we stepped outside, the cool evening air wrapped around us, carrying the earthy scent that lingered after the gardeners had watered the lawns. Somewhere in the distance, crickets had already begun their nightly chorus.
We walked down the driveway.
I pressed the key fob.
Beep.
The headlights flashed, and the doors unlocked.
Sylvia walked around to the passenger side and slid into her seat.
I was about to get into the driver’s seat when my eyes caught another car parked nearby.
Camila’s.
My footsteps slowed. For a long second, I simply stood there, staring at it.
A thousand memories rushed through my mind all at once.
My chest tightened.
"Cam..."
The name slipped from my lips in little more than a whisper.
"Please come back to me."
I closed my eyes for a second before letting out a quiet breath.
Then I pulled open the driver’s door and climbed inside.
I started the engine, and it hummed to life beneath us.
The soft vibration settled through the car as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
After one last glance through the windshield, I gently pressed my foot against the gas pedal.
The car rolled forward, gliding smoothly out of the driveway and onto the road ahead.
Sylvia’s phone suddenly vibrated in her hand.
Ring!
Ring!
Ring!
She lowered her eyes to the screen, her brows knitting together.
She frowned before looking away. "...Why is he calling me?"
I glanced at her for a second before returning my eyes to the road.
"Who’s calling, babe?"
She hesitated before answering.
"Drake."
The name hit me harder than I expected.
My fingers tightened instinctively around the steering wheel until my knuckles turned pale. I kept my eyes on the road, but I could feel something unpleasant settling in the pit of my stomach.
Sylvia noticed almost immediately.
She turned toward me. "Babe."
When I didn’t answer, she reached over and rested her hand lightly on my arm.
"Are you okay?"
I stayed quiet for a moment. Then I let out a slow breath.
"...What’s your relationship with him?"
Sylvia looked at me, then out through the windshield. For a few seconds, she didn’t say anything.
Finally, she spoke. "We grew up together."
Her voice was calm, softened by old memories.
"He was my closest friend for years."
She smiled faintly. "My foster parents adored him. At one point, they were already talking about arranging an engagement between us."
She shook her head with a quiet laugh.
"But neither of us wanted that."
"To me..."
"He was just Drake."
She fell silent again. Then the smile slowly disappeared.
"Everything changed after he started dating someone."
I listened without interrupting.
"She hated me."
Sylvia’s fingers tightened slightly around her phone.
"I think she always believed there was something going on between us."
She looked down at the screen before continuing.
"One afternoon, I went to his house to finish writing my manuscript. I also needed to pick up something I had left there."
"He was upstairs, so I sat on the couch with my laptop and kept writing."
"I didn’t even notice she had come in."
Her expression hardened slightly.
"The first thing I heard was..."
"’What are you doing in my boyfriend’s house?’"
"I looked up and smiled."
"’Hi.’"
"I even waved."
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"She didn’t wave back. She walked straight toward me."
"’He’s upstairs,’ I told her."
"I thought she was looking for him."
Sylvia let out a quiet breath.
"But instead... she scratched herself."
I frowned.
"What? With her own nails."
Sylvia nodded. "She dragged them down her arm until her skin turned red."
"I just sat there staring at her. I couldn’t even process what I’d just seen. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps.
"Drake came downstairs and rushed to her.
"Babe?" he asked. "What happened?"
"She burst into tears. And before I could say a single word..."
"She pointed at me."
"’She did this.’"
Sylvia looked away. "He didn’t ask me what happened. He didn’t ask for my side. He just looked at me..."
"...and told me to leave."
She laughed quietly.
It was the kind of laugh that carried more disappointment than humor.
"So I left. I never went back."
Silence filled the car.
The only sound was the steady hum of the engine beneath us.
After a while, Sylvia looked down at her phone again.
"They broke up a long time ago."
Her thumb hovered over the ringing screen.
"I haven’t spoken to him since that day."
She sighed softly.
"So..."
She looked at me. "I honestly don’t know why he’s calling me now."
Without thinking, I reached across the center console and intertwined my fingers with hers.
"I don’t care why he’s calling."
I gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"What matters is that I trust you."
Sylvia looked at me, surprise flickering across her face before it softened into the smallest smile.
She squeezed my hand back.
"Thank you."
I returned my attention to the road.
"...But if he tries anything."
I smiled faintly. "I’m not promising I’ll be nice."
That earned a quiet laugh from Sylvia.
"I know."
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter