He was her brother's best friend. They were inseparable once, until life and distance pulled them apart. Now, after years of silence, fate reunites Renee Russel and Lando Norris.
Renee, a budding singer-songwriter, navigates the dazzling world of mu...
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CHAPTER 20
when the party's over
"Don't you know I'm no good for you? I've learned to lose you, can't afford to"
Renee awoke to a dull, throbbing pain in her temples. The morning light filtered through heavy curtains, casting the room in a muted gray haze. She blinked, her mind struggling to clear the fog of last night's alcohol. For a moment, she felt weightless, adrift in that hazy space between dreams and waking. But then reality snapped into focus: the bed beside her was empty.
She sat up slowly, her head pounding, eyes scanning the room. Abel was gone.
The sheets still held the faint warmth of where he'd lain, but the space felt cold, empty. Her fingers brushed across the spot he'd occupied, a strange chill settling over her. She glanced to the bedside table where she normally left her phone—it wasn't there.
Frowning, she got to her feet, her steps hesitant and slightly unsteady. Each step echoed through the quiet house as she made her way down the hall toward the kitchen, following the faint murmuring sound of a voice. She walked in to see Abel sitting at the kitchen counter, one hand clutching her phone, the screen glowing in his grip.
Her heart sank. "Abel?"
He didn't look up immediately. He sat in silence, his gaze fixed on the screen as if she hadn't even spoken. Then, slowly, he raised his head, eyes dark and cold. He held up her phone, the screen facing her. "Why is Lando messaging you?"
The words hung in the air, sinking like stones. Renee's mouth went dry, her pulse quickening. She stared at the screen, her mind racing. She hadn't spoken to Lando in days, hadn't even looked at her phone since she'd been with Abel.
"I... I don't know," she stammered, a faint tremor in her voice. "I haven't checked my messages. I swear, Abel."
His gaze didn't waver, his face an impassive mask. "So what, he just randomly decides to message you? After all this time?" His voice was soft, almost a whisper, but each word was laced with venom. "Are you lying to me, Renee?"
"No," she said, her voice barely more than a breath. "I'm not lying. I didn't know—"
"You didn't know." He scoffed, tossing the phone onto the counter with a loud clatter that echoed through the kitchen. His laugh was cold, humorless, a sound that sent a chill down her spine. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I don't see what's going on?"
