MARIA POV
The brunch was awkward. I could barely stand to be in the same room with them—Henry and Daxton, sitting there like nothing had happened, like they hadn’t completely ruined everything last night. Every glance in their direction made my chest tighten, and I found myself fighting the urge to snap, to say something that would blow up the whole situation even more.
Henry’s stunt at the party? **Ridiculous.** The blonde, the jealousy games… it was all so childish. I hadn’t wanted to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much it hurt me. Seeing him with that girl, kissing her like I didn’t even exist, when just hours before, we’d had that moment. The way he looked at me, the way our history hung between us like a weight we couldn’t shake—it was real. It had to be. But then, h
