Chapter 50. Under the Rain

Vanessa’s POV

My heart was still hammering against my chest as I stepped outside, the cold floor biting at my bare feet.

Everything felt surreal.

I had just run out of Mr. Garcia’s penthouse, my body still trembling—not from fear, but from something I didn’t understand. The moment his lips had touched mine back in that art room, my entire world had tilted off its axis.

I stood there, my breath shaky, wrapping my arms around myself, but it did nothing to calm the tension within me.

Why did he kiss me?

I had always thought Andre disliked me—no, hated me. He had tormented me for months, belittled me, pushed me past my limits. And tonight… tonight, he kissed me. I could laugh at myself for vouching for him a few days back, insisting that he didn't see me the way other guys would. That he didn’t see me as a girl—just a torture thing.

My face burned at the thought, heat creeping down my neck.

It was my first kiss.

And