Isla’s POV
The car hums under us while Rico drives, the road ahead easy and familiar. Outside, the city lights smear across the windshield in gold and white streaks. It’s late, and the traffic that was heavy earlier has finally eased.
My phone rests face-down in my lap, Zayne’s voice still echoing faintly in my head. The way the call ended. The silence after I said her name.
I don’t know what I expected—anger, maybe. Deflection. A sharp shutdown. Clarity most especially, because why the hell am I in this circus?
Instead, I got something worse. Stillness.
Rico clears his throat beside me. “So,” he says lightly, like nothing in the world is wrong. “Did you miss me, or should I be offended you survived without me for a few days?”
I turn my head to look at him. He’s smiling, eyes on the
