Chapter 99 99

Chapter 99 99

Kade sat at the bar, hunched over the scarred wooden counter with a half-empty glass of whiskey in front of him.

He had already finished three shots and was well into the fourth, the alcohol doing little to dull the sharp edges of his pain. His mind was trapped in an endless loop, replaying the argument with Yuki.

The way her eyes had glistened with unshed tears. The way her voice cracked when she pushed him away. The finality in her words, Stay away from me.

He slammed the glass down on the counter a little too hard, the sharp sound cutting through the noise for a brief second before being swallowed again.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, the curse tasting as bitter as the whiskey.

He waved the bartender over, his movements heavy and uncoordinated.

"Another one." When the fresh glass arrived, he drank half of it in one searing gulp, the burn traveling down his throat and spreading warmth through his chest that did nothing to ease the cold knot in his stomach.

The stool next to him scraped loudly against the floor. Jordan slid onto it without invitation, ordering a beer and taking a long, slow sip before speaking. The silence between them stretched

"So it's true," Jordan said at last, his voice low. "She dumped you. I called her earlier, but she wouldn't talk about it. She sounded wrecked."

Kade let out a bitter laugh that sounded more like a growl.

"I can't believe she told me to stay away from her." Kade said, his voice rough and edged with raw emotion. "I get it. Stefano is dangerous. The man’s a fucking psychopath, but doesn’t she value what we share? After everything we’ve been through, she just… decides that’s it? Like none of it mattered?"

"You should understand where she’s coming from, man," Jordan began. "Stefano had me beaten and threatened to end me. He wouldn’t think twice about doing worse to you."

Kade turned his head sharply toward Jordan. His eyes were bloodshot, not just from the alcohol but from the effort of holding back the storm inside him.

"I know he’s dangerous!" Kade’s voice rose, drawing a quick glance from the bartender. He lowered it again, but the intensity remained.

"But what the hell am I supposed to do? Just sit back and let her face this nightmare alone? I say I love her, but I can’t even protect her. What kind of man does that make me?" He laughed bitterly again. "Useless. That’s what I am. Completely fucking useless right now."

He finished the rest of his drink in another long swallow and signaled for yet another, the glass arriving faster this time. Jordan gave him a sympathetic look but said nothing.

He exhaled.

"She’s scared, Kade," Jordan said finally, his tone gentle but firm. "Terrified, actually. She doesn’t want to see you get hurt because of her. That’s why she’s pushing you away so hard. It’s her way of protecting you, even if it’s tearing her apart."

Kade rubbed his face with both hands, the stubble on his chin rough against his palms, then dropped them heavily onto the counter. His shoulders sagged further.

"I know that, but it still fucking hurts, and I hate myself for not being able to fix this."

He stared down at the new glass but didn’t drink immediately.

"I don’t know what to do," Kade admitted, voice cracking slightly. "I really don’t. Walking away feels like betraying her. Fighting for her feels like putting her in more danger. I’m stuck."

Kade ruffled his hair.

\---

Yuki lay curled up on her narrow dorm bed, knees pulled tight to her chest, the blanket only half covering her body. The room was dim, lit only by the small lamp on her desk that cast a weak, yellowish glow across the walls.

She had been staring at the same faint crack in the paint for what felt like hours, her eyes red and swollen from the tears she’d finally let fall earlier.

There was a soft knock on the door.

Ivy stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her. Her eyes softened when she saw Yuki’s huddled form.

“You’re still sulking?” Ivy asked, though her tone was more concerned than teasing. She walked over and sat on the edge of the mattress, the bed dipping slightly under her weight. “Weren’t you the one who told him to stay away from you?”

Yuki sat up slowly, her movements sluggish. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and rested her chin on them, hugging herself tighter as if she could hold her fracturing world together.

“I’m thinking about going back to New York,” Yuki said, her voice low and exhausted, barely above a whisper. “For real this time. Transfer back, at least for a semester or two.”

“New York? Like, actually leave campus? You want to run that far?” Ivy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Yuki nodded, her dark hair falling messily around her face.

“It’s the only way I can put some real distance between me and Stefano. At least for a while. Maybe if I’m not here, he’ll lose interest or get bored chasing me. I need to keep Kade safe. I can’t keep putting him in danger like this. He almost got shot because of me at the aquarium. I won’t survive if something worse happens.”

Ivy watched her carefully, searching for the right words. “You really think running away will fix this? Stefano doesn’t seem like the type who just gives up because you leave town. He’ll probably see it as a challenge.”

“I don’t know,” Yuki admitted, sounding utterly drained. “But I have to try something. I can’t keep watching everyone I care about get hurt because of me. Jordan, Kade… even you could be next. It’s too much.”

Ivy reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Yuki’s arm, her touch warm and grounding.

“I get it. You’re scared—anyone would be. But you can’t just disappear. What about Kade? He’s hurting too. What about school, your friends, your life here?”

Yuki didn’t answer right away. She just stared down at the rumpled blanket, tracing a pattern with her finger as silent tears welled up again.

Her phone suddenly rang on the bedside table, the sharp sound shattering the quiet.
Unknown number.

Yuki hesitated, then picked it up with a trembling hand and answered.

“How’s my princess doing? It’s been a while and I miss you, you know.” Stefano’s calm, dark voice slithered through the speaker.

Yuki’s face went completely pale, as if all the blood had drained from her body. Her hand shook so violently she nearly dropped the phone.

She hung up immediately and fumbled into her contacts to block the number.

“Yuki… was that him?”

Before Yuki could reply, the phone rang again. Another unknown number. She blocked it instantly, her fingers clumsy on the screen.

“You sure about that? Blocking his numbers… It won’t necessarily stop the problem, you know,” Ivy said softly, worry etching her features.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to let Stefano control my life because of his stupid, twisted obsession. He doesn’t own me.”