Emily: Oh, great. You’re alive. So there was no reason for you to have ignored me all day.


    I dropped the phone onto the nightstand, heart thudding.


    Let him feel it. Let him sweat for once.


    Because whatever this was, whatever we were, wasn’t going to survive if it only worked when it was convenient for him.


    And I wasn’t going to be with someone who left me in the dark just because he could.


    Days passed. Then more days. And still, nothing.


    Not a call. Not a message. Not even one of Liam’s usual snarky texts to lighten the mood.


    After that one angry text he sent the night I had dinner with Kelvin, and my reply that I was just d he was alive, he vanished. Poof. Like he’d been erased from my life. No follow–up.


    Just silence.


    At first, I tried to y it cool. I told myself he was probably busy. He did say he had a lot to fix. That he’d be back as soon as he could. But soon, every sound my phone made had me checking it like a madwoman. Every time it didn’t ring, it rang loud in my chest.


    I was his girlfriend now. That counted for something, didn’t it?


    But days bled into each other. My modeling offer kept moving forward–Jay helped me review the paperwork, introduced me to a branding consultant, even gave me a crash course in managing sudden fame. Brands were calling, emails pouring in. People wanted to work with “the girl who caught Liam ck.”


    Funny. Because “the girl who caught him” hadn’t heard from him in over a week.


    Sophia still hadn’t returned either. Though she texted to say she’d be back “real soon,” I had a feeling even she didn’t know what was going on with Liam. And summer… well, summer was slipping through my fingers. School loomed just around the corner. The life I thought I’d outgrown was inching back in, and I wasn’t ready.


    11:01)


    288


    I needed air. A reset.


    So when Mom texted that she was flying back in from her break in Houston, I jumped at the chance to pick her up.


    LAX was its usual blur of motion and noise–families reuniting, lovers running into each other’s arms, the smell of pretzels, coffee, and jet fuel weaving through the air like afort


    nket.


    Then I saw her. My mother. Walking toward me with her suitcase in one hand and her arms stretched wide.


    “Mom!” I called, weaving through the crowd until I fell into her arms. <fn8725> Original content can be found at f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?</fn8725>


    She squeezed me like she could put all my broken pieces back together. “There’s my baby! You’re glowing. One of us had an amazing summer, I see. Is the new boyfriend responsible?”


    I let out a halfugh. “Mom, please. You justnded. At least get home before you start embarrassing me.”


    “Oh, I bet there’s a story there,” she said with a raised brow. “We’ll talk about it.


    From the airport, Mom asked if we could make a quick stop at her favorite tea shop in Beverly Grove. A little detour. I agreed. Anything to stretch time before going home to another night of wondering why the hell my boyfriend had gone mute on me.


    The tea shop was small but pretty–warm lighting, clean marble floors, shelves lined with rare herbs and teas. We chatted lightly. She picked a new blend for sleep and digestion. I got a bag of honey–vored green tea just because the packaging was cute.


    And then, as we were leaving, I saw him.


    Liam.


    Standing across the street like some tall, well–dressed betrayal. ck suit. No tie. Sunsses tucked into his cor. Talking to someone on the phone, like the world wasn’t currently crumbling under my feet.


    I stopped walking. My stomach dropped like an anchor.


    Mom noticed my stillness. “What’s wrong?”


    I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My eyes were glued to him. He looked… fine. Normal. Like a man


    11:01


    :


    not haunted by the fact he’d ghosted his girlfriend for days.


    I turned away quickly, blinking hard. Anger wrapped itself around the sadness like armor.


    The car ride back was quiet.


    At home, I helped her with her suitcase and followed her into the living room. Then, I gave her the rundown of everything she’d missed. Or… almost everything.


    Just as I was about to say goodnight, she turned to me with a soft but pointed smile.


    “You know, you’ve updated me on nearly everything. The tour, the fashion deal, Sophia’s mystery man. But funny… you forgot to mention the most important detail.”


    I blinked. “What do you mean?”


    She tilted her head. “You’re in love with my client.”


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