He stood up abruptly, pulling her up with him thanks to the handcuffs, and pinned her against the wall. His grip on her wrist tightened.
Ni-ki leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. "You're playing with fire, angel. Don't think for a second tha...
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RHAINE SAT ON THE COUCH, lost in thought, her stare unfocused as she zoned out. Her younger sister, Jian, bounced over, tugging at her sleeve with a hopeful look. "Come on, unnie! Let's play a game!"
But Rhaine, normally quick to join Jian in anything, was barely there. She managed a faint smile, giving her sister's hand a quick squeeze before drifting back into her thoughts.
Jian, sensing her sister's preoccupation, eventually wandered off, leaving Rhaine alone with her worries. She continued to play with her toys in front of her.
Rhaine thought of Ni-ki, of how much she cared for him, but also of how heavy everything had become. Mr. Jin's threat, his watchful presence lurking behind every move she made, felt suffocating.
And then there was the hurt and frustration from her argument with Ni-ki. She couldn't shake the urge to break free from it all.
Rhaine curled up on the couch, tucking her knees to her chest.
She wanted to believe they could work things out, but his refusal to listen, his loyalty to Mr. Jin over her, felt like a wall she couldn't break through.
The memory of Mr. Jin's taunts surfaced, his words echoing in her mind, feeding her doubt. There was the offer—the money, the clean break. Part of her hated herself for even considering it, but another part saw the promise of freedom, of stepping away from the pressure and the constant judgment.
She could go to McGill, start fresh, escape everything.
Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. She glanced down to see a message from Garam: "Are you okay? I know things looked rough at the party. Twitter is raving about how you left your own boyfriend's celebration early."
Rhaine hesitated, unsure how much she wanted to share. But then she typed back, "Thinking about leaving all this behind."
Garam's response came fast. "Are you serious?"
"I don't know. Mr. Jin made an offer... to leave Ni-ki and go live my life. And after that argument, I just... I'm starting to wonder if it would be better for both of us."
A pause, then another message: "Whatever you decide, just make sure you're doing it for you, okay? Not because of anyone else's expectations."
Rhaine read Garam's words over and over, feeling a weight lift ever so slightly. But as reality began to crash upon her, she knew this wasn't a decision she could make lightly.
She had to decide if she was ready to face the consequences of walking away from Ni-ki—and if she was strong enough to let him go if that's what it took to find herself again.
Her mind drifted to those early days with Ni-ki, back when they couldn't stand each other. It felt like a lifetime ago, the sharp words and cold stares, each convinced the other was just a nuisance or a complication. She could still remember the noticeable hatred whenever they had to be in the same room, the way they both seemed determined to prove the other wrong or keep each other at arm's length.
But somewhere along the way, the walls began to crack. He had seen her on her worst days, when her frustrations boiled over and she couldn't keep her emotions in check. And she had seen him at his lowest, his arrogant exterior giving way to the boy underneath who was struggling just as much as she was.
And yet, here they were, facing so many obstacles that made loving him so much harder than she had imagined. As much as she knew he loved her, she also knew that staying in his world meant fighting to be seen and valued, struggling against forces that threatened to pull her down.
Mr. Jin's influence and Ni-ki's refusal to stand up to him had started chipping away at the foundation of what they had built.
Even after everything—the memories, the love, the warmth she found with him—it still felt like she was being asked to choose between them and herself.
A tear slipped down her cheek as she considered the reality of leaving him behind. Could she really walk away from everything they'd been through, from someone she loved so deeply? Yet, staying meant constantly fighting to prove her worth, even at the cost of her own dreams and freedom.
It felt like she was stuck, with her heart pulling her one way and her mind the other. It was to the point she barely noticed the world around her. The distant sound of knocking didn't register.
Suddenly, a small hand shook her shoulder. "Unnie, someone has been knocking!" Jian's voice broke through the fog, her sister's wide eyes looking up at her with concern.
Rhaine blinked, snapping back to the present. She pushed herself up from the couch, forcing a small smile for Jian's sake. "Okay, I'll get it," she murmured, figuring it was just her mom or dad back from an errand.
But when she opened the door, her heart nearly stopped.
Standing there, shoulders tense, eyes darker than she'd ever seen them, was Ni-ki.
