Chapter 143. Love Is the Secret

Alison’s POV

Kendrick took a step forward, fists clenched, but I grabbed his wrist, stopping him before he could do something reckless. His muscles tensed under my grip, his body trembling with barely contained fury.

“Don’t,” I whispered, barely able to get the word out.

Priya’s gaze snapped onto Kendrick like a predator spotting its prey, her twisted smile vanishing in an instant. Her face darkened, her brows pulling together in a deep scowl, something between rage and... heartbreak?

“How dare you bring him here?” Her voice cracked, laced with venom and something deeper... something raw.

A slow, heavy breath escaped her lips before she tilted her head, black eyes narrowing.

“You think,” she hissed, stepping forward, “that because I once loved him, I would back down?”

Her voice sent a shiver racing down my spine.

Priya let out a shaky breath, as if she was barely keeping herself together, and then before I could react her lips m