Chapter 76. My Girl

Jake’s POV

It wasn’t a gasp. It was a breath. Like the one you take after you come back on the surface after swimming deep under the ocean.

Her eyes widened, a mix of surprise and something else...something deeper that sent a jolt through me.

The moment our eyes met, everything around us seemed to blur and fade into the background. Time slowed, the clinking of glasses, the low hum of conversations, and even the elegant notes of the piano playing in the corner all became distant echoes.

Lea’s gaze locked onto mine, her body froze. A flicker of recognition, of longing, and perhaps a hint of the pain that had been between us flashed before her. I could feel it. I could see it.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. I could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, mirroring the quickening of my own heartbeat. It felt as if the entire universe had shrunk to just the two of us, standing on opposite s