Page 27 of The Bittersweet Bond

The whole fight was probably just because he’d already moved on to his next fling.

"You’re worth more than that," Ben pulled her out of her thoughts.

"You deserve someone who sees you for who you are, not someone who doesn’t know what he wants." Their eyes met, and in that moment, Evin felt the atmosphere between them shift.

Ben’s words were like a balm to her soul, his attention made her feel special. It wasn’t the kind of spark she felt with Bas, but something different. Something soft. Calm.

"Maybe I can change your mind about complicated guys."

Evin’s heart raced, but she held her breath.

"There’s something I’ve wanted to do since I came to this school," Ben continued.

He leaned forward slightly.

"What’s that?" Evin asked, even though she already had an idea. She wanted to hear it from him.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked, hesitant, almost shy. His lips came closer, and for a fleeting moment, she thought about pulling away.

Bas wouldn’t take her back anyway. He’d made that clear. This felt easy, but that was exactly what made it uncomplicated.

And uncomplicated was never something she longed for.

It wasn’t the same heat she felt with Bas, but a gentle touch that made her think.

She inhaled shallowly, as if trying to silence a voice deep within her still searching for an answer.

Maybe this was what she needed—to let go, or at least pretend she knew how.

Yet when his lips touched hers, the uncertainty melted away in the calm he radiated. When their lips met, she expected the fire she always felt with Bas. But there was only a hint of warmth—pleasant, but not enough to drown out what still burned deep inside her.

Don’t think. Don’t feel. Just let it happen.

That was what she told herself as she kissed him back, as she let her fingers rest against his chest. But even as she tried to lose herself in the moment, her mind was already slipping away, back to something—or someone—she wasn’t supposed to think about.

"You know he’s not going to forgive you so easily." The words cut through the fog of her thoughts like a knife, but Evin forced herself to push them aside. The tight knot in her stomach pulled even tighter, but she couldn’t afford to feel it now.

Later, she promised herself.

Later, when everything came crashing down.

"He doesn’t care," she murmured, but the lie tasted bitter on her tongue.

And then he kissed her again.

Her pulse quickened as she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his, desperate to feel something that might numb the chaos inside her.

But the cold truth settled over her like a weight on her chest: this wasn’t what she wanted, and it wouldn’t make her forget.

Chapter 7

Rewind

Evin

Evin’s phone buzzed, the notifications lighting up the screen in quick succession.

She ignored them at first, but then Milka’s name flashed across the screen. A call.

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