The tea got cold.
Just like everything else.
The moment Adam left my room, everything collapsed.
The dam broke.
And I cried.
No—I sobbed.
Ugly, desperate, heart-wrenching sobs. The kind that made my throat burn and my stomach twist. I curled into a ball on the floor, fists clenched in the blanket that smelled like vanilla and heartbreak.
My chest hurt so bad it felt like something was physically breaking apart inside me. And maybe it was.
Those letters from my mother... her betrayal… Adam's weird pity… It all swirled in my mind like a cruel hurricane.
School?
I didn't even remember it existed.
When the maid knocked to remind me of breakfast, I didn't answer. When someone came again around lunchtime, I buried my head under the pillow.
I didn't want food. I didn't want lectures. I didn't want therapy.
I wanted my mom back.
And for once, I wanted Adam to disappear for real.
But of course, fate has a twisted sense of humor.
---
The Next Morning
The door burst open around noon.
"Skipping school? Tsk tsk. You're going to ruin your permanent record."
That voice.
That annoyingly smooth, smug, Adam-ish voice.
I didn't move. I was still on my bed, wrapped in the same blanket, face buried in the pillow, eyes swollen.
He walked in, the floor creaking lightly under his steps.
"Is this a new hobby?" he said casually. "Crying for three days straight? Impressive stamina."
Still no answer.
I felt the mattress dip slightly.
Then silence.
He was watching me.
Judging me, probably.
I wiped my nose like an angry raccoon and croaked, "Go away."
"Wow," he said, mock-impressed. "That was the politest 'go die in a ditch' I've ever heard."
"Why are you here?" I muttered.
He didn't answer.
And when I finally turned my head slightly—just enough to peek through a mess of tangled hair—I saw him standing.
Still. Quiet.
Looking at me.
His jaw tightened. And then… he left.
I thought he actually listened for once.
Until—
The door opened again two minutes later.
"I don't think you want to be alone."
I blinked.
And there he was, leaning on the doorframe in a gray hoodie and sweats. His hair was still slightly damp, like he had just showered. His usual icy demeanor was… thawing. Just a bit.
And his eyes—they held something I hadn't seen before.
Worry.
For me?
Nah. Must be my brain short-circuiting from dehydration.
He clapped his hands together like a man on a mission. "Alright, Miss Misery. Up. Now."
"What—"
"We're going out."
"Out?"
"Yeah. Out. Into the world. Where sunshine exists and air is free."
I frowned. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Too bad." He grinned, the devil himself. "I'm kidnapping you again. This time, legally."
Before I could protest, he threw me a hoodie and motioned to the door. "Adventure park. Ten minutes. No makeup. No drama. Just come."
I blinked.
"…You're serious?"
"As a heart attack, sweetheart."
And then he left again.
And, for reasons even I didn't understand…
I followed.
---
An Hour Later — Adventure Park
I've never been there before, as my mom treated me like trash and I still missed her.
Pathetic me.
It was stupid.
So, so stupid.
The park was full of kids and couples and cotton candy. There were colors everywhere and people screaming on rollercoasters and toddlers crying over spilled slushies.
It was chaos.
It was life.
I hadn't realized how much I missed it.
Adam walked beside me, sunglasses on, hood half up, trying to act all cool and mysterious like some undercover movie star. Which was hilarious because he got recognized twice.
(He may or may not have bribed those fans with ice cream to shut up.)
He was smug. Arrogant. Teasing.
And I hated him a little less.
"Want to ride the death drop?" he asked, pointing to a giant metal tower designed by someone who clearly had issues.
I stared. "Why would I willingly fall from the sky?"
He grinned. "To feel alive."
I smacked his arm. "You're insane."
"Confirmed."
Still, I found myself getting on that ride.
We screamed. A lot. (Mostly me.)
When we got off, I almost tripped from laughing too hard.
"Your face mid-fall," Adam said, breathless. "I wish I had recorded it."
"You were the one crying!"
"I was screaming strategically."
"You were crying like a baby!"
"Lies. Slander."
We collapsed onto a bench, gasping, laughing, alive.
For the first time in days… I wasn't thinking about my mom. Or the file. Or the world I'd been dragged into.
I was just… Rhea.
And this boy—this annoying, smug, infuriating boy—was watching me.
Not glaring.
Not smirking.
Just watching.
His sunglasses were off now. His dark eyes followed every move I made. Every laugh. Every time I shoved my hair behind my ear or leaned forward to tie my shoe.
He didn't even try to hide it.
Adam Raines, Lord of Brooding and Sarcasm, was staring at me like I was some kind of magic trick he didn't understand.
He tilted his head slightly. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but didn't know what.
His fingers twitched on his knee. Like they wanted to reach out.
But they didn't.
And then, just for a second—
He smiled.
Soft. Almost shy.
But just for a moment.
Then he looked away like he'd caught himself doing something illegal.
Back to sarcasm. Back to Adam.
"You eat like a gremlin," he said, watching me attack a funnel cake.
"I'm starving!"
"You're inhaling powdered sugar like it's oxygen."
I wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve and glared at him.
"You dragged me out of bed for this."
"You're welcome."
"You're awful."
"You're worse."
We bickered all the way back to the mansion.
But something had shifted.
I still hated him.
But I wasn't crying anymore.
And I swear—just swear—when I looked out the window on the ride back and saw his reflection in the glass…
He was still staring.
Not in love.(Or maybe idk, but I don't think., it's Adam btw. And Adam and love hehe no.)
But curious.
Confused.
Like he didn't understand how someone so broken could still laugh that hard.
And maybe… just maybe…
He didn't want to break me anymore.
---