Chapter 5 Five

Chloe's POV

My heart slammed in my chest as our eyes locked. Drake's face hardened instantly, a storm brewing behind his gaze. He looked at me like the ground had just shifted beneath him, like he'd just stumbled onto something he wasn't ready to face.

For a moment, no one said a word. The world froze, sound and movement dulled, until Jack's friend broke the silence first, grinning as if nothing was wrong.

"Chloe, it's so good to see you. Man, I didn't even know you and Jack were done. He never said a word."

Jack stiffened beside him, his jaw tightening. His voice snapped like a whip. "Shut up."

I turned my glare on him, the bitterness bubbling inside me spilling over. "Of course he wouldn't say anything. Why would he? Telling the truth isn't one of his strengths."

Jack's expression darkened as he stepped closer, lowering his voice like he could still control me. "Don't embarrass me here, Chloe."

I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and hollow. "Embarrass you? You embarrassed yourself when you fucked my best friend."

His friend froze, his smile dying instantly. His eyes went wide as the truth sank in. "Wait... what? Jack, are you serious?"

The air grew suffocatingly tense. All eyes shifted to Jack, who swallowed hard but didn't deny it. Drake's gaze snapped to his son like a blade, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might crack. Then slowly, his eyes returned to me.

There was shock there, yes, but beneath it, something else. Something darker. Desire, raw and unguarded, flickered in his stare like a dangerous flame he couldn't mask.

Jack tried to save face, reaching for me, his hand closing around my arm. "Let's talk in private."

I yanked my arm free, my voice cold and sharp. "Don't touch me, we're done. I want nothing to do with you."

And then, I turned toward Drake. The anger in me softened, replaced by something frighteningly real, something I couldn't hold back anymore. My voice trembled, but my words cut with conviction.

"I don't want Jack. Not anymore. He betrayed me. He broke me. But you..." My throat burned as I locked eyes with him.

"You're the one I want."

His chest rose and fell, his breaths heavy, uneven. His expression darkened, as if every word I spoke was tearing him apart. "You don't know what you're saying," he muttered, his voice low, dangerous.

But I didn't falter. I couldn't. "I know exactly what I'm saying," I pushed back, my words spilling out like fire.

"I've never felt the way I felt with you that night. I can't stop thinking about it. I don't care that you're his father. I don't care about anything else. I want you."

Jack's friend's mouth hung open in shock. Jack, on the other hand, exploded, dragging a hand down his face as he cursed loudly. "Are you fucking crazy, Chloe?" he barked. "That's my father!"

I turned on him, my chest heaving, my voice fierce. "Then maybe you should have thought about what you were doing with Sylvia before you lost me. Because you did. You lost me."

Drake's eyes never left mine. For a long, heavy second, no one spoke. It was just him and me, standing in the middle of a storm that could destroy everything.

Finally, his voice cut through the silence, hoarse and strained. "This... this can't happen."

But I stepped closer, trembling, yet steady in my resolve. "It already has."

Later that night, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, my sheets twisted around me. My body was restless, my mind refusing to shut down. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. His eyes. His voice. The hunger in the way he looked at me, like he wanted me and hated himself for it all at once.

So when my phone buzzed and I saw an unknown number light up the screen, my breath caught. A single message.

Come to the hotel. Room 406.

I didn't hesitate.

I knew it was him.