Chapter 428

Layla’s POV

It was stupid, I knew that. But it didn’t change how my heart had started to race when I saw him.

It wasn’t just that he was there, standing in front of me with that boy by his side. It was the way he seemed to have everything I never wanted but somehow still felt envious of. 

He had moved on…he was living a life that didn’t involve me, and that realization hit harder than I expected.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, glancing out the window of Jason’s car as we drove home. 

The night was dark, the streetlights casting long shadows on the pavement. The hum of the engine was the only sound in the car, and I hated how silent everything felt.

Jason’s grip on the wheel was tight, his knuckles white in the dim light. Maddy was sitting beside me, but she didn’t say anything either. I could feel the weight of her concern, but there was nothing she could do to make this better.

The silence was suf