The morning sun was ruthless, pushing through sheer curtains and slicing across the tangled sheets like a spotlight no one asked for. Darren blinked awake, disoriented. The room was unfamiliar clean, minimalist, quiet. It smelled faintly of lavender and something citrusy.
He sat up slowly, the weight of his headache catching up with him. Then he noticed the empty side of the bed.
Ashley was gone.
The space where she'd slept was cold. No purse, no clothes left behind. Just silence. And a note on the pillow.
Darren stared at it for a long moment before picking it up.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen. Please don't try to find me. — A"
He rubbed a hand down his face. The lump in his throat wasn't from the hangover. It was something heavier, something that felt like disappointment, but he wasn't even sure why. He didn't know her. Not really.
And yet…
He scanned the room for clues. A single photograph on the nightstand showed her in a graduation robe, flanked by a stiff-looking older couple. No warmth. No smiles.
A part of him wanted to leave a note back, another part of him knew it wouldn't matter.
Twenty minutes later, Darren stepped out of the apartment building, the chill morning air slapping him awake. His phone buzzed.
[Text from: Ryan]
Bro, where are you? You okay?
Darren sighed, thumbs hovering over the screen. Then he typed:
[Me]
Yeah. Had a night. I'll explain later.
He slid the phone into his jacket and started walking. Every step away from her apartment felt strangely heavier than it should have. One night. That's all it was. No strings.
Still, something about her eyes stuck in his head. The way she'd looked at him not like he was broken, not like he needed fixing. Just... seen.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and muttered to himself, "Get it together, man."
Meanwhile, across the city, Ashley stood in her bathroom, hands gripping the sink.
She stared at herself in the mirror—mascara smudged, hair messy, eyes red.
"Idiot," she whispered.
She'd let herself slip. One moment of rebellion. One night where she'd let her heart and body do what her mind had warned her against.
And now? She'd ghosted him. Like a coward.
But it was better this way. She couldn't afford to let someone like Darren into her world.
Especially not with everything else closing in.
A knock on the door jolted her.
"Ashley?" her mother's voice called, clipped and controlled. "Brunch with the Granvilles is in two hours. Don't be late."
Ashley closed her eyes. The cage was still locked.
She had no idea how much worse it was about to get.