Chapter 3

The days bled into weeks. Life at the Sterling mansion settled into a quiet, fragile routine. I' d find breakfast left out for me in the morning. Blake would drive me to school without a word. We' d do our homework in the massive, silent library, separated by a long table and a chasm of unspoken things. His father remained a ghost, a presence I only felt through slammed doors and the scent of whiskey in the air.

At school, I tried to build a life. I even tried to become friends with Liam Henderson again. He was always nice to me, in a distant, polite way.

"I' m glad you found a family, Chloe," he told me once in the hallway. "Even if it' s... them."

I was excited. A potential friend. I told Blake about it at dinner, one of the rare occasions we ate at the same time.

"I talked to Liam Henderson today," I said, poking at my food. "He' s actually really nice."

Blake' s fork clattered onto his plate. "Stay away from him."

"Why?" I asked, surprised by the venom in his voice. "He' s been nothing but kind."

"You don' t know them," he said, his voice low and intense. "The Hendersons are not what they seem. Just... trust me. Stay away from him."

The warning felt familiar, echoing the text I had seen at the orphanage. It created a knot of unease in my stomach.

Despite his coldness, I started to see cracks in Blake' s armor. I was struggling with an advanced algebra problem, my frustration mounting. I threw my pencil down in disgust. A few minutes later, a piece of paper slid across the table. On it, the entire problem was solved, with neat, clear annotations explaining each step. Blake was already engrossed in his own book, pretending he' d done nothing.

One night, I couldn' t sleep. I wandered down to the library and found the French doors to the garden open. Blake was outside, a massive telescope pointed at the sky. I watched him from the doorway, fascinated by the quiet passion on his face. He was a different person out here, under the stars. He didn' t see me, and I crept back to bed, a small smile on my face.

The next night, I found the telescope set up again, but this time it was aimed lower, a step stool placed right in front of it. He was in the kitchen, getting a glass of water, pretending he had no idea I was there. I went out and looked through the eyepiece. The moon filled my vision, every crater and sea in stunning detail. It was breathtaking.

I started leaving him little things. A cookie from the cafeteria I' d saved. A cool-looking rock I found on the school grounds. I' d place them on the edge of his desk in the library. He never said anything, but the next day, they were always gone.

One evening, he was staring out the library window, a deep sadness in his eyes.

"It was her favorite," he said suddenly, his voice quiet.

"What was?"

"Astronomy. My mother... she was the only one who understood. She bought me my first telescope." He paused, swallowing hard. "After she died, he just... checked out."

I knew he meant his father. My heart ached for him, for the lonely little boy hidden inside the cold, angry teenager.

The next week, Liam invited me to a study group at his house. I was hesitant, Blake' s warning echoing in my ears, but I was desperate for friends. I told Blake I was going.

He stood up so fast his chair scraped against the floor. "I told you to stay away from him, Chloe."

"You can' t tell me who to be friends with!" I shot back, my own frustration boiling over. "I live here, but I' m not your prisoner!"

"You don' t understand!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "You chose this house! You chose me! Not him!"

"Why did you even agree?" I cried, the question I' d held back for months finally spilling out. "Your dad didn' t want me. You didn' t want me. So why did you say yes?"

His face crumpled. The anger vanished, replaced by a raw, painful vulnerability.

"Because," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I was so alone. And for one second, when you stood there... I thought maybe I wouldn' t be anymore." He sank back into his chair, covering his face with his hands. "I' m broken, Chloe. Everyone knows it."

My anger evaporated, replaced by a wave of overwhelming empathy. I walked around the table and put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched but didn' t pull away.

"You' re not broken," I said softly.

A new line of text shimmered into existence above his bowed head.

[Vulnerability shared. Bond strength: 15%. Trust level increasing.]

He finally looked up, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Don' t go," he said. It sounded like a plea.

"Okay," I said, my voice gentle. "I won' t."