The Next Move

Isabella's Point of View

The night air pressed cool against my skin as George guided me to the car. Street Lights flickered, their glow bouncing off the wet pavement. The city hummed around us—cars passing, distant laughter from a bar nearby—but I felt detached from it all. My mind was elsewhere, tangled in the invisible chains Kyle had wrapped around me.

She was tightening her grip.

George opened the car door, his expression unreadable. "Are you okay?"

I slid into the passenger seat, my fingers curling against the smooth leather. "Yeah." The lie felt stale on my tongue.

George settled behind the wheel, starting the car, but he didn't pull away. His gaze lingered on me, steady, searching. "You don't have to keep pretending."

I turned my head toward the window. The glass was cold against my forehead. "I'm not."

Silence stretched between us. The city moved outside—blurred lights, shifting shadows—but inside the car, everything was still.