Chapter 3

Amirah Holland POV:

In the past, my threats to leave Kendrick were always thinly veiled pleas for attention. "I'm going to move out," I'd declare, my voice laced with an artificial bravado, secretly hoping he'd grab my arm, tell me I was being foolish, that I belonged here with him. He never did. He'd simply nod, his expression unreadable, and say, "If you truly believe that's best, Amirah, you have my support." His words were like a cold shower, dousing any remaining spark of defiance. He never fought for me. Never.

But this time, it was different. This time, as I stood in Professor Vance's office, my heart wasn't aching for him to stop me. It was aching for escape. I wasn't hoping for a reaction; I was hoping for a new beginning. I wouldn't tell him I was leaving. I would just go.

Professor Vance studied me for a long moment, her gaze surprisingly gentle. "Life is a series of choices, Amirah," she said, her voice soft but firm. "Some are made for you, but the most important ones you have to make for yourself. And sometimes, the hardest choice is the one that sets you free." She pushed her glasses higher on her nose. "The MIT program is highly competitive. You'd need to complete all your final projects, submit a stellar research proposal, and secure a letter of recommendation from me. All within a month."

A fresh wave of tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back fiercely. This was it. My lifeline. "I'll do it, Professor," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "I promise. I won't let you down." The determination, fierce and unyielding, burned through me.

I plunged myself into my studies with a singular, desperate focus. Days bled into nights, fueled by caffeine and a relentless drive. I believed that if I kept busy enough, if I worked hard enough, the searing pain in my chest would dull, the emptiness would fill, and I would finally outrun the ghost of Kendrick's indifference. It was a lie, a flimsy shield against the agony, but it was all I had.

One night, I stumbled back into the penthouse, the hour late, the building eerily silent. I pushed open the door to the guest room-my new room-and froze. Kendrick was there, sitting on the edge of the bed, a book open in his lap. He looked up, his dark eyes meeting mine.

My heart gave a strange jolt, a mix of fear and an unwanted flicker of the old hope. I clutched my backpack tighter, my guard immediately up. "Kendrick," I said, my voice flat, wary.

He closed the book, placing it neatly on the bedside table. In his hand, he held a small, silver locket. My locket. The one with my father's picture inside, that he'd given me on my tenth birthday. I hadn't worn it in years, had forgotten about it in the chaos of my move. "I found this," he said, his voice softer than I expected. "It was in your old desk drawer."

A pang, sharp and unexpected, twisted in my chest. That locket. A tangible piece of my father, a symbol of the love I'd lost, the love Kendrick had replaced. He was holding it so gently, almost reverently. My gaze lingered on it, a fragile bridge to a past that felt increasingly distant.

I remained silent, unable to reconcile this gentle gesture with the coldness he'd shown me for months. His actions were a confusing tangle of care and detachment, pulling me in opposing directions.

He misinterpreted my silence. His voice softened further. "Amirah, I know you're upset. But running away, causing mischief... it's not the answer. Don't be mad at me." His words were almost a plea, but the underlying assumption that I was merely 'mad' or 'sulking' was like a slap.

His inconsistent warmth was a cruel trap. One minute, he was cutting me out of his life, the next he was holding a precious memory. It was a cycle I knew too well-his mild concern, my desperate clinging, followed by his inevitable withdrawal. This push and pull was exhausting, a constant drain on my emotional reserves.

It was sickening, this constant emotional whiplash. My love for him, once a roaring fire, was now a smoldering ember, occasionally flaring with a cruel gust of wind, only to be extinguished again. The sheer weight of it all, the endless cycle of hope and despair, left me feeling utterly drained, hollowed out.

"I'm not mad, Kendrick," I said, my voice steady, devoid of the emotion that raged within me. "And I'm not 'sulking.'" The words were true. I wasn't angry anymore; I was just... done.

He frowned, a flicker of irritation in his eyes, but he didn't press it. He always hated when I didn't fit into his neat little boxes of emotion. He pulled an ornate invitation from his pocket, the heavy cardstock gleaming under the soft lamp light. He handed it to me.

"My firm is hosting its annual charity gala next week. It's an important event. I expect you to be there." It wasn't a request. It was an order, delivered with the quiet authority he always wielded.

"Okay," I replied, the single word a quiet surrender. I didn't have the energy to fight him.

"And Amirah," he added, his voice hardening slightly, "don't make a scene. Chrissy will be there. I don't want her upset." The unspoken threat hung heavy in the air. His priority, as always, was her. Her feelings. Not mine.

The familiar throb in my chest intensified. I couldn't help myself. "Do you love her, Kendrick?" The words were out before I could stop them, raw and desperate.

He simply looked at me, his dark eyes unblinking, unreadable. The silence stretched, long and agonizing. He said nothing. But in his eyes, in the subtle tightening of his jaw, in the way he avoided my gaze, I saw it. The answer. A clear, undeniable 'yes.'

The next morning, I tried to slide into the passenger seat of his car, the one I'd always occupied, a silent tradition. But a designer tote bag, overflowing with Chrissy's art supplies, sat there, a vibrant, undeniable marker of her presence. It was a new bag, an expensive one, a blatant declaration of her territory.

Chrissy bounced out of the penthouse, her red hair catching the morning light. "Oh, Amirah!" she chirped, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "That seat's mine now, darling. Kendrick says I get carsick in the back." She winked, a cruel, playful gesture.

My stomach dropped. She hadn' t just taken my place in his heart; she was systematically erasing me from every corner of his life. Even the passenger seat, my small, familiar comfort, was now hers. I was replaced. Completely.

I moved to the back seat, folding myself into the corner, a small, insignificant shadow. The drive was a symphony of their shared laughter, their easy banter, Chrissy' s hand often resting on Kendrick' s arm. They discussed art, law, their plans for the weekend. I listened, my presence unnoticed, a silent, aching void in the back. Their words, their intimacy, pressed down on me, suffocating me with their effortless happiness.

The gala was held in a grand, opulent hall. The air hummed with hushed conversations and the clinking of champagne flutes. Chrissy, dazzling in a crimson gown, led Kendrick to a prominent display.

My breath caught. It was a painting, enormous and striking, dominating the wall. A vibrant, almost violent swirl of colors, depicting a woman's face, ravaged by tears, her eyes wide with a raw, primal pain. It was a self-portrait, Chrissy's signature bold and unmistakable in the corner.

"This," Chrissy announced, her voice ringing with performative passion, "is called 'The Unrequited Muse.' It's about the suffocating nature of a love that can never be returned, the agony of yearning for someone who sees you as nothing more than a child." She looked at me then, her eyes glinting with a triumphant malice. "Do you understand it, Amirah?"

I felt a cold dread spread through my veins. She knew. She had seen right through me, through my broken heart, through my desperate, unspoken love for Kendrick. "I-"

"It's a powerful piece, isn't it?" Chrissy interrupted, turning to Kendrick with a dazzling smile. "So, darling, what do you think? My most personal work."

Kendrick studied the painting, his expression blank. Then, he spoke, his voice clipped and precise, devoid of emotion. "It's... vivid. But I find such overt displays of unreturned affection... tiresome. Unhealthy, even. It speaks of a lack of maturity."

His words slammed into me, a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. He was talking about me. He was dissecting my very soul, my deepest pain, and deeming it immature. Chrissy had painted my heartbreak, and Kendrick had publicly scorned it. The humiliation was a burning inferno, consuming every shred of my dignity.

My vision blurred. My head felt light, my legs unsteady. I couldn't breathe. I had to get out. I turned abruptly, stumbling away from the painting, from him, from her.

"Amirah, are you alright?" Chrissy's voice, laced with false concern, followed me. "You look a little pale, sweetie. Did my art affect you that much?"

I clenched my jaw, forcing a tight, dismissive smile. "I'm fine, Chrissy. Just a little overwhelmed by... the sheer emotional depth," I said, the sarcasm thick enough to cut with a knife.

She chuckled softly. "Of course. Well, if you need anything, I'm here. We're family now, after all." She took a step closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Let me walk with you. You look like you're about to faint."

But her feigned kindness vanished as soon as we were a few steps away from Kendrick. Her eyes hardened, her smile twisting into a venomous sneer. "Don't think I haven't noticed, little girl. All your pathetic little games, your desperate attempts to cling to him. It's over. He chose me. And he always will." Her voice was a low, dangerous hiss, barely audible above the general murmur of the crowd. "He just wants you gone."