13- Beyond His Barriers

*ARLENE’s POV*

I hadn’t been myself for weeks. Not since that night. Not since spending a night in his room, lying awake on his bed while he slept on the sofa across the room. Nothing happened—just silence and distance between us. And yet, that night lingered like a fleeting memory I couldn’t shake. After that, he disappeared, like a ghost, vanishing from my life as quickly as he had entered it.

And still, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Janine and Patricia dragged me to Marco’s brother's wedding, insisting it was the perfect opportunity to see him again. ‘I wasn’t ready—God, I wasn’t ready”. I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready. But here I was, standing on the edge of something I couldn’t name, heart pounding with anticipation and dread.

" Arlene! Come with me!" Janine grabbed my arm and pulled me forward, right into the heart of the gathering. My breath caught in my throat the second I saw him—MAGO. He stood there like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t just upended my entire wo