Page 1 of The Bittersweet Bond

Prologue

A Storm of Emotions

Sebastian

The sky above Santa Barbara stretched wide and indifferent, dressed in deep hues of navy and ember, as if it were watching—watching the flames of the bonfire cast restless shadows across the beach, the crackling of the fire blending with the lively laughter and chatter of the crowd.

It was Ashbourne High’s annual bonfire, marking the start of the football season, a celebratory beginning to what was supposed to be another carefree school year.

Bas stood in the middle of it all, one arm loosely draped around Cat, who was chatting with her friends with a coy smile.

He knew this game: stolen glances, accidental touches—a dance he had long since mastered.

But the moment his gaze met Evin’s, the world around him started to blur.

There she was, standing at the edge of the crowd, bathed in the restlessflickering of the firelight, as if it had been lit solely to highlight her. The way she moved, laughed… never forced and never trying. She didn’t chase attention, it found her.

A storm of conflicting emotions raged inside Bas as he watched her. His jaw tightening under the weight of that all-too-familiar jealousy. Why did she always have to be the center of attention?Tonight, of all nights, when he had hoped, just for once, that things might be different...

But he forced himself to shut that thought down, biting the inside of his cheek to silence the voice battling against his rational mind.

It was ridiculous, wasn’t it?

Just another fleeting moment stirring that nagging sense of resentment inside him. And yet, the unease remained.

Then he noticed a guy. Some new kid, not even a name worth mentioning in the passing conversations of the night, leaning in toward her, whispering something in her ear while his hand rested so casually on her shoulder.

And the way she smiled at him ignited a fire inside Bas that he could barely contain.

Cat gently pulled on his arm.

“Bas?” she asked, throwing Evin a dismissive glance before letting out a quiet, mocking scoff. “Can’t you just… let it go? That’s just how she is.”

Her tone said it all. She knew how Evin got under his skin.

"She’s not one of us, Bas. You’re old enough to know better. Don’t be stupid!"

His father’s words clawed their way back into his mind, sharp-edged and suffocating.

A lump formed in his throat. He hated that even after all these years, those words still haunted him. That they wedged themselves between him and Evin every damn time he got too close.

He forced a smile. “I know,” he murmured toward Cat, closing his eyes for a second, willing himself to suppress the growing urge to act.

Why couldn’t she just be like everyone else? Why did she always have this effect on him?

He tore his gaze away, forcing himself to focus on the group, and thevoices surrounding him. Cat pressed closer, her grip tightening as if she were trying to pull him back to reality.

"Come on, bro, like you actually want her,"one of the guys had laughed once when Evin had walked past them at school.

"She acts like she’s better than us."

"She’s cheap. She just doesn’t realize it."

"She turns us all down like she thinks she’s too good for us—not like she doesn’t want to."

They weren’t wrong.

Evinwastoo good for them. But Bas had never said anything. He had just clenched his jaw. They couldn’t have her. So they hated her.

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