Chapter 41. The Visit

Amara awoke to the soft chime of her phone, the early morning sunlight filtering through her curtains. She reached over to check her messages, still groggy from sleep. As she tapped on the screen, a message from Ethan illuminated her darkened room: “Hey Amara, hope it’s okay, but I’ll be swinging by for a visit today!”

A sense of panic washed over her like a tidal wave, crashing against the shores of her consciousness. Her heart began to race, a wild fluttering that seemed to echo in her ears. It wasn’t just the unexpectedness of his visit that sent her into a frenzy, but the overwhelming rush of emotions she had been trying to suppress.

Amara had spent half the night replaying memories of Ethan in her mind. His deep, soulful eyes that seemed to pierce through her defenses, the way his laughter danced in the air like a soothing melody, and the magnetic pull of his presence that left her breathless. She couldn’t deny the intense attraction she felt for him, an attraction