Jax' s words, "I don't want to see your face ever again," echoed in my ears, bouncing off the walls of my skull as I slipped beneath the water. The cold embrace of the lily pond felt strangely comforting compared to the searing pain of his rejection. My body, weakened by the concussion, grew heavy. I stopped fighting. The murky water clouded my vision, and a strange sense of peace began to settle over me as darkness enveloped me.

Then, a sudden, powerful yank. Someone was pulling me up, dragging me out of the water. I gasped, coughing and sputtering, the world spinning around me. I felt arms around me, strong and unfamiliar, lifting me onto dry land.

I woke up in a hospital bed, the smell of antiseptic filling my nostrils. The bright fluorescent lights overhead were a jarring assault on my throbbing head. Maya and Liam were there, their faces etched with worry, their hands tightly clasped.

"Kylie! Oh, thank God!" Maya cried, tears streaming down her face as she squeezed my hand.

"What... what happened?" I whispered, my voice hoarse. My head felt like it was filled with cotton.

"Someone saw you fall into the pond, Kylie," Liam explained, his voice gentle. "They called for help. A groundskeeper pulled you out. You were barely breathing." He paused, his jaw tight. "Jax and Cinda were already gone by the time anyone else arrived."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Even in a near-death situation, he had abandoned me. Again. "Of course, they were." My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. I felt nothing, just a cold, hollow ache where my heart used to be.

"We heard what he said, Kylie," Maya whispered, her eyes filled with sympathy. "His friends... they told us. He just left you there. He called you 'pathetic drama'."

Liam nodded, his face grim. "I swear, I wanted to punch him. How could he be so cruel? After everything you two went through."

I closed my eyes, a long, weary sigh escaping my lips. "He made his choice. A long time ago." The words felt heavy, but true. The illusion was gone. The pain was still there, but it was a dull, constant throb, not a sharp, tearing wound.

"So... what now, Kylie?" Liam asked carefully.

I opened my eyes, looking directly at them. "Now? Now, it's really over. There's nothing left. No more chances. No more hope." I paused, then continued, my voice gaining strength. "I'm not going to San Francisco. I'm not going to the university we planned."

Their eyes widened in surprise. Before they could ask more questions, the door swung open, and my parents rushed in, their faces pale with fear.

"Kylie! My darling!" My mother's voice was a choked sob as she rushed to my side, enveloping me in a tight hug. My father, his face stern, gently pushed her aside to check my head, his hand resting protectively on my arm.

"Are you alright, sweetie? What happened? We heard... we heard it was an accident at school?" My father's voice was carefully neutral, but his eyes were blazing with suppressed fury.

I reassured them, my voice still weak but steady. "I'm okay, Dad. Just a bump on the head." For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw Jax standing in the doorway, his eyes filled with concern. But it was just a trick of the light, a phantom of my fractured mind. He wasn't coming.

The next day, back in my now-empty apartment, I continued packing, my movements deliberate. My parents watched me, their faces a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Kylie, honey, about San Francisco..." my mother began, her voice hesitant. "Are you sure? You worked so hard for that scholarship..."

I turned to face them, my heart aching with a familiar regret, but my resolve firm. "Mom, Dad, I can't go there. Not anymore. Everything about San Francisco, about that university, it's all tied to Jax. To him. I need a clean break. A fresh start. I need to get as far away from him as possible." My voice, though quiet, was filled with a fierce determination they rarely saw in me. "I'm going to Napa Valley. To Grandma' s house. I' m going to use my scholarship there."

My parents exchanged a look. My father, usually so stoic, came over and wrapped me in a tight hug. "If that's what you need, sweetie, then we support you. No matter what. We'll help you get settled."

Tears pricked my eyes, but this time, they were tears of gratitude, of profound relief. My family, my true anchors, were here for me.

A few days later, a formal invitation arrived. Jax' s graduation party. His parents, still holding onto the fragile hope that we would reconcile, had sent it. I stared at the elegant card, a bitter smile on my face.

I went. Not for him, but for myself. To prove that he no longer had any power over me. I walked in with my parents, head held high, a quiet strength radiating from me. Jax, surrounded by a throng of admirers, saw me. His eyes flickered with a mixture of surprise and a subtle, almost possessive, satisfaction. He still expected me to react.

"Kylie, darling! So glad you could make it!" Mrs. Mathews rushed over, embracing me warmly. "You two! Always meant to be. I just know you'll work things out." She looked hopefully between us, a silent plea in her eyes.

"Mrs. Mathews," I said, my voice gentle but firm. "It's truly over. There's nothing left between us."

Just then, Cinda swept in, draped in a shimmering, form-fitting dress, her arm already linked through Jax' s. She beamed at me, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. Jax, seeing her, immediately turned his full attention to her, his hand resting on her lower back, his gaze lingering on her face. My parents, who had followed me, watched the scene unfold, their expressions slowly shifting from hope to dawning realization.

My mother, her eyes wide with shock, turned to me. "Kylie... I... I see." She patted my arm, a silent apology in her gaze.

"Mom," I said, my voice barely audible, but filled with a quiet finality, "it's dead. There's nothing to save."

My father, his face grim, squeezed my shoulder. "Napa Valley, then," he said, his voice firm, "We'll make sure you have everything you need." He gave Jax one last, searing look of contempt before turning away with my mother, their support a comforting presence.

Suddenly, a deafening crack. The grand chandelier, hanging precariously above the dance floor, swayed violently. A loud groan of metal. It was falling. Directly towards Jax and Cinda.

Chapter 7

You might like