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Chapter 16: Growing Closer
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2025-03-20 14:41:26Vivian knew she had made a mistake agreeing to meet Ethan again. The line between professionalism and something dangerously intimate was growing thinner, and she wasn’t sure she could trust herself not to cross it.
But the damage had already been done.
They sat across from each other in the dimly lit café, the air thick with unspoken words. Ethan, ever the confident flirt, was different tonight. He wasn’t just toying with her—he was studying her, his gaze burning with something deeper than mere amusement.
“So,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “Are you going to keep pretending you don’t feel it too?”
Vivian took a slow breath, gripping her coffee cup as if it were an anchor. “Feel what, exactly?”
Ethan smirked, but there was no arrogance in it this time. It was softer, more knowing. “This pull between us. The way you look at me when you think I’m not
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Ethan stormed out of the classroom, his mind spinning. Fiancé? The word echoed in his head like a taunt, each syllable slicing through him. He had expected Vivian to push him away, to deny whatever was growing between them—but this? This was a betrayal he hadn’t seen coming.The hallways were empty as he walked with quick, angry steps, fists clenched at his sides. He didn’t know where he was going, only that he needed to move. If he stayed still, he might explode.She was engaged.All this time, while she looked at him with those conflicted eyes, while she whispered in the dark corners of their conversations, while she let him believe that maybe—just maybe—there was something real between them… she belonged to someone else.Vivian’s RegretInside the classroom, Vivian felt the weight of Ethan’s absence like a physical force. Daniel stood beside her, adjusting the expensive cufflinks on his suit, completely unaware of the storm raging inside her.“I thought I’d surprise you,” he said s
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