50.

She hadn’t expected to see anyone she knew, least of all Hazel.

The woman standing walking towards her. Dressed in an elegant yet effortless manner, Hazel exuded a quiet confidence that Alina found both enviable and intimidating.

“You look like you’ve been through hell,” Hazel remarked, tugging her book under her arm as she glanced up at Alina.

Alina huffed a laugh, sitting down beside her. “I feel like it.”

“Work?” Hazel guessed, her knowing gaze making Alina shift uncomfortably.

Alina nodded. “My manager seems to have made it her personal mission to ruin my life.”

Hazel tilted her head, considering. “Some people thrive on making others feel small. It’s pathetic, really.”

Alina sighed, rubbing her temples. “It’s just… exhausting.”

For a moment, they sat in silence, the quiet hum of the night settling around them. Then, as if sensing the thoughts lingering at the edge of Alina’s mind, Hazel spoke.

“You still think about him, don’t you?”

Alina stiffened. “Who?”

Hazel shot her an unimpressed look. “Caelan.”

Alina hesitated, her fingers curling into her lap. “I don’t know what to think about him anymore.”

Hazel studied her, then sighed. “He’s an idiot, you know.”

Alina blinked, startled by the bluntness. “What?”

Hazel shook her head. “Caelan. He’s spent days pushing people away, convincing himself it’s for their own good. But you—” She paused, choosing her words carefully.

“You unsettled him.”

Alina swallowed hard. “That’s not exactly comforting.”

Hazel gave a wry smile. “It should be. Because it means you’re not just another fleeting presence in his life.”

Alina bit her lip. “Then why did he leave?”

Hazel’s expression softened, but there was something sharp in her gaze. “Because he’s afraid. Afraid of what caring about you means. Afraid of what losing you would do to him.”

The words struck something deep in Alina, a wound she had tried to ignore. She stared down at her hands, her thoughts tangled and raw. “I don’t know if I can keep waiting for someone who refuses to stay.”

Hazel placed a hand on hers, firm but warm. “Then don’t.”

Alina looked up, surprised.

Hazel’s eyes gleamed with quiet understanding. “Live your life, Alina. If he wants to be part of it, he’ll have to stop running.”

The night stretched around them, the stars blinking in the dark expanse above. And for the first time in days, Alina felt like she could breathe.

The evening air was cool against Alina’s skin as she stepped out of the garden, her conversation with Hazel still lingering in her mind. They had talked about many things—work, life, the unpredictability of it all—but, inevitably, the topic had always circled back to him. Caelan.

Hazel had spoken about him with a knowing edge, her words carrying a weight Alina wasn’t sure she was ready to fully acknowledge. And yet, as she trudged back to her dorm, exhaustion pulling at her limbs, her thoughts kept returning to him, to the mansion she had unconsciously made her second home.

But tonight, she was too tired.

The weight of the day pressed down on her shoulders—the sharp reprimands from Ms. Davenport, the endless revisions, the suffocating atmosphere of the office. It had drained her, left her hollow. All she wanted was to sleep, to let the world fade away for a few hours before she had to wake up and do it all over again.

Her dorm was dark when she stepped inside, the silence settling around her like a heavy blanket. She slipped off her shoes and let her bag drop onto the floor before collapsing onto the bed.

A sigh escaped her lips as she reached for her phone, scrolling through her contacts until she landed on Jace’s name. Her thumb hovered over the call button for a second before she pressed it.

The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times.

No answer.

She stared at the screen for a moment before tossing it aside, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he was ignoring her.

Maybe she was just overthinking everything.

She should sleep. She needed to sleep.

But then, a thought crept into her mind. A quiet, insistent whisper that refused to be ignored.

Why did she keep running to Caelan?

Again and again.

Even when she told herself she wouldn’t.

Even when she knew better.

Her fingers clenched the sheets as the question settled in her chest, pressing against her ribs. It wasn’t just about his mansion, about the comfort of a place that felt safe when everything else in her life was chaos. It wasn’t just about the books or the silence or even the way he looked at her sometimes, like she was something he couldn’t quite figure out.

It was something deeper. Something she didn’t want to name.

She closed her eyes, her heart pounding softly against her ribs.

She didn’t want to admit it. Not yet.

But the truth was there, waiting.

And eventually, she would have to face it.