Chapter 214. Apologize for Real

Caleb’s POV

I watched as Shane sat there, elbows resting on his knees, fingers intertwined as he stared at the ground like it held all the answers he couldn’t find in himself. The room was quieter than usual, the absence of Mia and the other girls leaving behind a strange emptiness. He let out a long, exhausted sigh before shaking his head, jaw tightening.

“I feel like an asshole,” he finally admitted, his voice hoarse, like the weight of his own words was suffocating him. “I should’ve told her sooner. All of it. But I didn’t. I just—” He exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I just kept dragging it out like a coward.”

Jade, sitting across from him, arms folded, leaned forward slightly. There was no anger in his face, just something like disappointment mixed with curiosity. “Why, though?” he asked, tilting his head. “Why didn’t you ever make things official with her? Why keep giving her false hope? For all we know, you guys had been