Page 35 of Chloé

Zayne glanced down at the papers that stated if and when he stepped off the property, he was no longer the school’s responsibility and blah blah blah. He signed his life away quicker than he could blink. It wasn’t like his father would care if something happened to him. So the way he saw it, it was his choice to leave it up to fate.

He handed the papers back to Morton, and the guy’s lips twisted like he was sucking on a lemon.

“One week,” he said to Ethan, who didn’t bother replying. Instead, he walked to the front door of the school and pulled it open, leaving Zayne to follow.

One week? Shit. We’re going somewhere for a week? Where?

“Hey?” he called out, jogging after Ethan, who of course didn’t stop. Zayne picked up the pace and caught up to him. “I said, hey?”

Ethan came to a stop in the front drive. “What?”

“We’re going away for a week?”

“Yes.” Ethan went to turn away from him again, but Zayne caught him.

“Where?”

“Does it matter?”

Not really—he would’ve gone anywhere with Ethan. But still, he figured he should at leasttryto look like he cared about his own well-being.

“Yeah. I usually like to know where the hell I’m going.”

A black SUV came up the drive and stopped in the drop-off area in front of them.

“I’m going home.”

Nothing he could’ve said would’ve shocked Zayne more.Going home?

As far as he knew, Kings was home for Ethan. That he’d been shipped off here after his parents died. So what did he mean that he was going home?

Ethan opened the car door and tossed his bag inside, then he climbed in and looked back to Zayne. “Well, you still want to come?”

Zayne blinked and knew there was nothing on earth that would make him say no. So he climbed into the car and forever sealed his fate with the mysterious boy who’d walked into his life and never walked back out…

“THAT WAS THE first time I ever came out here to the estate. It was the anniversary of his parents’ death. It was also the first time I found out who Ethan was. He showed me this photo, and, being the stupid kid I was, the second I was alone, I searched for every bit of information I could find on him. I was so curious about what had happened to his family and who he was.”

Chloé placed her hand on Zayne’s arm and squeezed. “That makes sense. You were just a kid.”

“He didn’t think so. I’m pretty sure there was instant regret for bringing me with him when he found out I was looking him up. God.”

Zayne shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “I thought I lost him that day. He totally shut down, didn’t talk to me. Here we were, all alone in this huge estate, and he avoided me for three days straight. It was pure torture. I’d never felt so guilty in my life.”

“You didn’t know.”

“That I was digging into his private life?” Zayne shrugged. “Yeah, I did. I knew how much he hated gossip. How much he hated being talked about and pitied by everyone at school. But I couldn’t help myself. His silence was my punishment, and I hated every second of it. I found him on the fourth day, sitting under that tree out there. His mother’s tree. I apologized, I would’ve groveled if I had to, and I promised I’d never hurt him that way again.”

Chloé smiled up at him. “A promise you must’ve kept. He told me you were the light in his dark room. That’s a beautiful compliment.”

Zayne smiled back. “That’s definitely an opinion he came to many years later, trust me.”

“I don’t think so. He brought you here during one of the darkest times of his life. You may not have been perfect, but I think you were the lightoutof the dark room for him. You showed him what could be that first year you were together. You showed him that life was still worth living.”

Zayne drew gentle fingers down her cheek to her chin. “I like to think so.”

Chloé looked back out to the beautiful magnolia tree.

“Be patient with him,” Zayne whispered. “He’ll open up. He’s already started to.”

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