Chapter 30

Daniel’s POV

The music was loud. The air smelled like stale beer and something sweet. I tossed another dart at the board. It landed just outside the bullseye.

“Still got it, old man,” Jake ribbed from the couch. He took a long gulp of his drink. His apartment was a mess. Empty pizza boxes, dirty clothes, general Jake chaos. But it was familiar. Comforting in a weird way.

I grabbed another dart. My mind drifted back to the past few days. Sienna’s silence. Lila’s anger. The whole messy situation. I swore to myself I was done chasing. Done with the drama. I needed to move on. For myself. For Maya.

This whole thing with Sienna was a distraction I couldn’t afford. A heavy weight had lifted since I decided to step back. The constant wondering, the worry, it was exhausting. My energy felt different now. Sharper. Focused. I felt a sense of clarity I hadn’t had in weeks, maybe months. It was time to build, not just dream. Time to execute.

“So,” Jake annou