The Girl He Called Practice

Case

and his official stepping into a senior role at Decker Real Estate. It was a formal announcement, a coronation of sorts, attended by New York' s elite. My parents, as long-time neighbors and family friends,

ve perfume and freshly cut grass hit me. The air was thick with the murmur of conversations, the

r, broader somehow, his shoulders more imposing in his tailored suit. His smile, usually so easy, held a new gravitas, a subtle shi

. He was magnificent, yes, but he was also cruel. The Kiera of old would have been mesmerized, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. The new Ki

anning for any familiar faces. I just needed to make an appearance, offer my congratulations to hi

a private, knowing smirk that sent a chill down my spine. He started towards me, moving with a predator' s grace, weaving through the chatter

rprisingly firm. "Kiera. You actually came." His voice was low, possessive, a hi

his grip tightened. "Let go, Fe

, darling, who is this?" she cooed, her eyes, sharp and calculating, raking over me. "Another one of your childhood friends, perhaps? I thought you said all your

from my grasp, subtly putting more distance between us, and tightened his hold on Bella. "She tends to be a bit... dramatic sometimes. Thinks everything is

I refused to give him the satisfaction of an outburst. I simply gave Bella a small, polit

arted between us. The air around us thickened, growing heavy with unspoken tension. T

. Felix' s face hardened. He leaned in close to me, his voice a low, venomous whisper. "Don' t think this is over, Kiera

residual flicker of affection I'd felt earlier was gone, replaced by an

no see! You've been so quiet lately. Where have you been hiding?" "Are you and Felix still inseparable? You two are just meant to be!" I smiled, made vague answers, and nodded

fuge on a secluded balcony overlooking the city skyline. The cool night breeze was a welcome balm against

to ebb, I heard voices from the

ion chuckled, his voice smug. "That Kiera. Always following

hance. So desperate." He paused, and I heard the clink of ice in a glass. "Honestly, sometimes it' s such a bor

the railing, my knu

on the back burner?" Dion asked,

lways be there, waiting, no matter what. She' ll never leave. Not really. Especially not after I take over the company. She knows which side her bread is buttered on." He

more. He was still talking about me in the present tense, as if I were a possessi

ound, my eyes blazing. Felix and Dion froze, mid-conversation, their faces pal

t a constant. I' m not waiting. And I' m not your escape or your comfort." My

on. Every last vestige of feeling, every fragile thread of affection I' d held onto for Felix, had been severed. It was truly over. And the reali