Chapter 140
ACE
(THE DAY BEFORE)
I tried. God, I really tried. Every day, I fought the urge to turn back, to find her, to explain myself. But I’d already ruined her once, and I couldn’t risk doing it again. The first time, I let my obsession pull me into her life—stalking her, forcing myself into her world without thinking about the damage I was doing. I was selfish, and I destroyed everything she loved. So this time, I let her go. No matter how much it killed me inside, I stayed away because it was what she needed.
No one knew, not my mom, not my dad—no one had any idea that I kept going back to New York, just to see her. I stayed far enough away so she’d never notice. All I wanted was to know she was alright. That was all. But every time I saw her—walking to class, living her life—it
