SOME SECRETS

– Chapter Twenty-Eight

The air was thick with tension as Jason stormed down the garden without looking back . Seline hurried after him, her pulse racing. She knew he was angry—she could feel it in the rigid set of his shoulders, in the way his hands clenched into fists at his sides. But she couldn't let him leave like this. Not when everything was falling apart.

"Jason," she called softly.

He stopped but didn't turn.

Seline hesitated, feeling the weight of unspoken words between them. "Can we talk?" she asked, her voice careful, measured.

Jason finally turned to face her, his expression unreadable, his dark eyes shadowed. "We have nothing to talk about, Seline." His voice was cold, devoid of any warmth.

She flinched at his tone but refused to back down. "We have everything to talk about," she countered sharply, stepping in front of him before he could walk away. "You brought me here. You turned my life upside down. And now, after everything, you expect me to just accept it without any explanation?"

Jason exhaled, rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off a headache. "I owe you no answers," he said, his tone clipped. "If you disturb me continuously, I'll make sure you have no freedom left at all."

Seline's stomach twisted, but she squared her shoulders, refusing to let him intimidate her. "I have every right to know what's happening," she argued. "You took me away from my life, and you won't even tell me why." Her voice cracked slightly, frustration and exhaustion bleeding into her words. "At least give me that much, Jason."

Jason was silent for a long moment, his jaw tense, his gaze locked onto hers as though weighing his options. Then, suddenly, something in him shifted.

"I'll help you, Jason," she said, sensing the crack in his armor. "Just tell me the truth. What are we really up against?"

A muscle ticked in Jason's jaw. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter, but no less intense. "You want the truth?" He took a step closer, forcing her back against the wall. His hands braced on either side of her, trapping her in. "Then you tell me first—what kind of rendezvous were you having with Lucas?"

Seline's eyes widened at the sudden turn in conversation. "What?"

Jason's gaze burned into hers. "I walk in, and I see you lip-locked with my brother," he continued, his voice dripping with controlled fury. "Tell me, Seline, why shouldn't I believe you're trying to play me--,us?"

She sucked in a sharp breath. "It's not what you think!" she defended quickly. "I didn't—"

Jason scoffed, stepping back, running a hand through his already tousled hair. "Of course, it's never what I think," he muttered bitterly.

"He kissed me before I could react, and I pushed him away," she said desperately. "I don't have feelings for him, Jason."

Jason didn't respond immediately. He just stared at her, searching her face for any sign of deceit. Then, with a frustrated growl, he turned away, pacing toward the other end .

Seline took a tentative step forward. "Jason, please," she pleaded. "Whatever this is—whatever war you and Lucas are fighting—Adams, just tell me the truth."

Jason exhaled sharply, his shoulders tense. "Lucas isn't who you think he is," he finally said. "And neither am I."

Seline frowned. "Then who are you, Jason?"

He turned, his dark eyes meeting hers with something raw, something vulnerable beneath all the anger. "You think you want the truth," he said grimly. "But you don't."

She swallowed hard. "Try me."

Jason hesitated, then finally spoke. Adams and I had a deal," he said. "I betrayed him."

Seline's breath caught.

"What do you mean?"

Jason let out a slow, measured breath. ",it's complicated Seline, Adams wants you dead ."

Seline's heart pounded. "That's not true," she whispered, shaking her head. "Adams—"

"Adams has been playing you," Jason interrupted. "He was never a geniue friend, Seline. His coming into your life was all planned."

The words hit her like a physical blow.

She wanted to deny it, to tell Jason he was wrong. But then she remembered the way Adams had looked when she caught him . He never tried to call back or make an attempt for settlement . The way he had forgotten her so quickly

And suddenly, she wasn't so sure anymore.

Jason watched her carefully, his expression unreadable. "You trust too easily," he said quietly.

Seline clenched her fists. "And you trust no one," she shot back.

Jason didn't deny it. He simply looked at her, as if waiting for her to catch up to the reality he had been living in for far too long.

A cold realization settled in Seline's chest.

"I need to know everything," she said, her voice steady. "If you really want me to trust you, Jason, then stop keeping me in the dark."

Jason studied her for a moment longer, he walked towards her his gaze darkened and pinned her to the wall trapping her between his arms

She took a deep shaky breath. Clearly affected by the proximity"what are you doing Jason! ."

"I had a long night" he mummered , his breath warm against her skin

"And coming back to that --seeing you in his arms wasn't exactly a sight I wanted to behold "

She realized he was talking about Lucas again, he had shifted from the topic again , but his lips some few inches from her face wasn't doing a good job in aiding her to think

Her breath hitched, as the memory of what had happened that night played in her head, the way he had kissed her, slowly, deliberately....., it was impossible to not think about it , she didn't want to appear cheap, not when there were other pressing issues to talk about

She should push him away. She should

But she didn't

Instead she looked up at him searching his face, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it

"Jason" she whispered

Something in his eyes shifted.

And then before she could say another word, he leaned in...