CHAPTER 43: NEVER FALL IN LOVE

"Erica," I said slowly, narrowing my eyes at her, "who hurt you?"

There was a long pause, and she pressed her lips together. The silence between us stretched. I could practically see the wheels spinning in my head, trying to piece together what she wasn’t saying.

"You’re not the type to be scared easily," I pressed. "If you’re trying to cover up for Cassandra in some way..."

"I’m serious, Layla," Erica cut me off immediately, her tone sounding firmer than before. "I know who did it, and it wasn’t your sister."

My chest tightened. "Then who?" I asked again, leaning closer.

She sighed, rubbing her temples before looking away. "Promise me you won’t be mad or judge me for this."

I frowned. "Erica, what are you talking about?"

"I didn’t just move here so we could reconnect," she admitted, her eyes darting nervously to mine.

I froze, my stomach dropping. "What do you mean by that?"

"The real reason I moved here was because I was running away."

"Running? From what? Or who? What happened?"

She took a deep breath. "My ex-boyfriend, he... he took out loans in my name. Big ones. He was tied up with some very dangerous people. When it all came crashing down, his mess spilled over onto me. I wasn’t safe anymore, so I had to disappear. Start over somewhere new."

I stared at her, trying to process it. "Wait a minute...your ex put you in debt with criminals?"

She nodded miserably.

"Where is he now?" I asked cautiously, though I had a sinking feeling I already knew.

Erica’s face drained of colour. "He’s dead," she said bluntly. "He couldn’t handle the pressure. So he took his own life."

"What?!!!"

For a second, I couldn’t even find words. The situation with my family suddenly felt almost small compared to this. "Oh my God, Erica..."

"I know," she whispered.

I reached over to her and grabbed her hand. "You should’ve told me sooner. You shouldn’t have carried this alone."

But she quickly pulled her hand back. "No. I don’t want you involved, Layla. These people aren’t like your father or Cassandra. They’re dangerous in ways you can’t imagine."

"I don’t care," I shot back instantly. "You’re my friend. I’ll help you. Axel can help too..."

"Layla, no!" she cut in, shaking her head. "Don’t drag him into this. Please don’t. I don’t want you caught up in something that could get you killed."

I leaned in, determined. "Erica, look at you. You can’t keep pretending you’re handling this. You clearly can’t. You wouldn’t be shaking right now if you could."

Her eyes filled with tears, and her shoulders sagged. For the first time, she didn’t argue. Instead, she whispered, "Thank you for wanting to help even with all this mess."

I squeezed her hand again. "Always."

"But no."

I sighed, not sure of what to do.

We sat there for a little while longer, the weight of her secret hanging over us. I tried to reassure her that she wasn’t alone, even if she didn’t want me to step in yet.

Eventually, I got up, hugged her, and said goodbye.

But before heading home, I detoured to the hospital. I needed to see Mom again, even if just for a minute.

When I reached her ward, I froze. The bed was empty.

"Excuse me," I called to a nurse passing by. "The patient who was in this room earlier... where is she?"

"Oh, she was discharged today," the nurse replied cheerfully, like it was good news.

I blinked, stunned. "Discharged?"

She nodded. "This morning."

My heart sank. Considering how weak Mom had looked just hours ago and the way the machines were almost blowing up, it didn’t make sense.

My gut told me the truth: they probably realised I’d been visiting and rushed her home, back under my father’s thumb, where I couldn’t reach her.

Fighting the urge to scream, I left the hospital and went home.

The last thing I expected was Axel waiting for me. He was sitting in the chair by the window of my room, looking calm and collected, like he’d been there for a while.

My heart jumped, and I instinctively turned to leave again, but he was faster. He stood, stepped in front of me, and suddenly I was pinned gently against the wall.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice embarrassingly high.

His eyes narrowed. "The real question is, what are you doing? You’ve been avoiding me all day. Why?"

I panicked, words spilling out before I could think. "I’m sorry! After our kiss, everything felt... weird, and I didn’t know how to act around you. I’m sorry I can’t develop real feelings for you. We have a contract, Axel. We need to focus on the goals, not us. Especially with all the family drama..."

He blinked at me, like I’d just spoken another language. "What the hell are you rambling about?"

"The kiss," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks heat up.

There was a long silence. Then he shrugged. "I forgot about that. It was nothing. I just got carried away."

The nonchalance in his voice made my chest ache, and I wanted to disappear.

"So... is that why you’ve been acting like I have the plague?" he asked, raising an eyebrow

I nodded sheepishly.

Axel burst out laughing.

"Don’t laugh!" I cried, smacking his arm.

"I’m not laughing at you," he said, still chuckling. "I just can’t believe you’ve been so weird over something so small."

Despite my embarrassment, I felt uneasy hearing him dismiss the kiss like it was something small. But then, I had just said it. This was a contract. Catching real feelings would only hurt us.

I crossed my arms. "Fine. Go ahead and laugh. I deserved it."

"You kind of did," he admitted, still smiling.

We stood there quietly for a beat, then I asked softly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever plan to get married for real? To someone you actually love?"

He didn’t answer right away. His expression suddenly looked grave. Finally, he shook his head.

"No. Love isn’t on my agenda. I’m not wasting time on all that emotional mess."

I bit my lip and nodded, though inside I felt a pang. We were so different; there’s me, secretly craving love and connection, and him, shutting himself off from it completely.

For a second, I almost told him that I wasn’t sure I could live without love. But instead, I played it cool.

Axel would love me. This was a sham marriage. That was the reality I had to get used to.