Sky Valen
I knew something was off the second I walked into the house.
The lights were too bright.
The silence too loud.
And my father's car was already in the driveway.
I swallowed.
My heels clicked against the marble like gunshots.
Every step toward his study felt like walking into a courtroom I was destined to lose.
He didn't look up when I entered.
"Close the door."
I did. Slowly. Carefully.
When I turned, his eyes were already on me.
I knew that look.
The lawyer in him was alive and blazing.
Not angry yet. Just calculating.
"I asked you a question, Skylar."
I blinked. "Sorry?"
His voice was calm. Terrifyingly calm.
"Do you know what kind of men the Maddox family breeds?"
I froze.
My throat tightened.
"You've been reckless," he said, his words like cold metal. "Publicly. In class. In the dorms. Do you think I don't watch?"
My stomach sank.
No.
No, no, no.
I pressed my fingers into the folds of my skirt. "Dad, I—"
He stood up so fast I flinched.
"You're not supposed to speak when you've been caught."
I bit my cheek to keep from shaking.
"You were raised better than this," he continued. "Do you know what message this sends? To the board? To our shareholders?"
My nails dug into my palm.
"It's not what you think."
"Oh?" He stepped closer. "So I imagined the photos? The footage? The hand on your thigh during criminal law? The way you let that boy look at you?"
My voice cracked. "He's not—"
"Enough."
A pause.
Then quieter.
Colder.
"From this point on, you will have no contact with Ray Maddox. No glances. No messages. No proximity."
I stared at the floor.
"You will remember who you are. You are a Valen. And we don't embarrass this family for a boy with a motorcycle and a name that should be rotting in courtrooms."
Silence again.
My hands trembled.
But I said nothing.
Because Sky Valen doesn't talk back.
Because Sky Valen knows what's expected.
Because my father raised a perfect daughter, and perfect daughters don't fall in love with the enemy.
So I just nodded.
And the second I left that room, I couldn't breathe.
I ran.
Out of the house.
Out of that life.
But no matter how far I go…
I know I can't run from what's inside me.
And he's inside me.
Every smirk.
Every fight.
Every kiss.
Ray Maddox was supposed to be a mistake.
But he's the only thing that's ever felt real.
And now I'm supposed to pretend he doesn't exist.
How am I supposed to do that…
when I don't even feel like I exist without him?