My first crush (COMPLETED)√

CHAPTER 30: Crush the cinderella

I froze when Stephen suddenly pulled the car over.

My heart skipped — half from shock, half from the nervous energy rushing through me.

"You've got to be kidding me..." I stared at him.
"Wait — why did you stop? Are we... doing this here? Right now? What the—"

The idea that our first time together might happen inside a parked car made my stomach twist with disbelief.

Stephen burst into laughter.

I blinked, annoyed. Why was he laughing? I felt ridiculous sitting there trying to read his mind, wondering whether to be embarrassed or angry.

"Oh, Sharon..." he said, catching his breath. "Before I explain why I'm laughing — tell me something... do you actually want this right now?"

His hand slid slowly over my thigh, warm and deliberate. My body reacted before my mind could catch up — skin prickling, breath hitching.

I swallowed as his fingers brushed dangerously close to the edge of my underwear. A soft, moaning sound escaped me, betraying how flustered I'd become.

"You're irresistible," he murmured near my ear, his voice low enough to send a shiver through me.

Heat rushed to my face.

Then he leaned back, grinning.

"You're the one letting your imagination run wild," he teased. "Look — we're home. I never planned anything in the car... not yet. But now it seems you're the one tempted."

Before I could respond, he stepped out of the car, leaving me sitting there — embarrassed, unsettled, and frustratingly aware of my own reaction.

I wrapped the towel tighter around myself, realizing how easily I'd gotten swept up in the moment.

"Are you coming or are you still plotting something scandalous?" he called playfully.

"I am not!" I snapped, stepping out and lightly hitting his shoulder.

He chuckled, lacing his fingers with mine as we walked inside.
"People tell themselves all kinds of things to avoid the truth."

"I'm not lying. You are."

"Relax," he smirked. "Your secrets are safe with me."

I rolled my eyes, though part of me burned with determination. One day, I'd uncover his secrets too — and I'd be the one laughing.

⸻

Patricia's POV

Memories flooded back as I lay submerged in the bathtub, warm water closing around me like a cocoon I didn't want to leave.

"I love you, Patricia."

Stephen's voice echoed in my mind — promises whispered in younger days when I believed every word. When I thought forever actually meant forever.

"You do?" I'd asked back then, naïve and glowing under his attention.

I'd given him my trust. My devotion. Pieces of myself I could never reclaim.

And now all that remained were threads of betrayal tangled in my chest.

The water crept higher as I sank deeper, letting silence swallow me. Maybe disappearing would hurt less than watching him move on... especially with Sharon — someone I never expected to stand where I once did.

The thought twisted inside me.

Suddenly—

"Patricia! No — stay with me!"

Strong hands pulled me upright. Air rushed into my lungs as Tyler dragged me from the water.

I coughed, trembling.

"Why... why save me?" I rasped.

He wrapped a towel around me, pulling me close.
"Because you don't deserve to die."

"I do," I whispered. "There's nothing left."

"But I love you," he said quietly, pain visible in his eyes.

"I don't love you the way I loved him."

"I don't care," he answered. "I won't watch you destroy yourself while someone else takes your place. Fight back."

"How?"

His voice hardened.

"Take back your story. Don't let her replace you."

Something flickered inside me — anger, clarity, resolve.

I wasn't done yet.