“Stop crying, for Pete’s sake,” I told Elizabeth.

We’d been here for hours, and she still hadn’t stopped sobbing. If I had known this would be the situation, I wouldn’t have joined them in this apartment at all. I could have been studying, enjoying every second of my peaceful life—but instead, here I was, handing her yet another tissue like it was my full-time job.

Bianca shook her head at me. She was our friend, too, dragged here because Elizabeth had called her in the middle of her emotional meltdown.

“Just let her fucking cry,” Bianca said.

“Cry?” I scoffed. “From the very start, we told her that guy was no good. Still, she didn’t listen.”

Elizabeth threw the used tissues at me—and even had the nerve to roll her eyes.

I crossed my legs and arched a brow. My patience was wearing thin, and honestly, my ears were starting to hurt from all the noise.

“So it’s my fault now?” Elizabeth snapped.

“Yes,” I said flatly. “We warned you Blaze was bad news, yet you still insisted on dating him.”

She burst into another round of tears.

“Stop crying already. No one died.”

If smashing her head against the wall would knock her out long enough to give me peace, I would’ve gladly done it. I seriously couldn’t understand why she was crying this hard when their relationship didn’t even last long. One week. A single freaking week.

“I love him,” she reasoned, wiping her tears.

I laughed—actually laughed.

“I’m not buying that stupid word. You were together for a freaking week. A week, Elizabeth!” I yelled.

Bianca suddenly laughed too.

“What?” I snapped at her.

She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just wondering—how would you react if your boyfriend dumped you the same way? Would you cry?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Bianca laughed louder. “I mean, maybe one day you’ll understand Elizabeth’s feelings if you ever go through the same thing. I hope someone hurts you big time.”

I rolled my eyes.

I would never cry for someone’s attention. My tears weren’t meant for assholes.

“I’ve been in a relationship before,” I said confidently. “And I never cried. They’re not worth it.”

Bianca’s smile twisted into something dangerous. “Then why don’t you meet the great Blaze and see why everyone’s dying to be with him?”

“Are you trying something absurd?” I asked. “Because that’s not going to work on me.”

She leaned back on the sofa, staring straight into my eyes. “Oh really, Carmela?”

My ears hurt even more. Seriously—why was I friends with these two?

“Yes, Bianca,” I mimicked.

Like it was all planned, she stood up. “Then it’s settled. You’re meeting Blaze tonight.”

She shoved her phone in my face.

Knight’s Party.

“It’s a black-themed party,” she said excitedly. “Blaze De Gomez will definitely be there—it’s his cousin’s party.”

I shook my head, but in the end, I gave in. Bianca and Elizabeth wouldn’t stop pestering me.

We got ready for the party. Elizabeth even lent me one of her dresses so I wouldn’t have to go home and change.

“You bitch might not return anymore,” she joked.

Parties usually started around ten. Anyone who arrived earlier was a loser. One of the many reasons I hated parties was the social climbers—girls who thought parties were shortcuts to relationships. The truth? Guys there just wanted to get into their pants and disappear like bubbles afterward.

We stopped at a convenience store first because I needed canned coffee to wake my sleepy soul. I wasn’t the type who enjoyed staying out late.

“Ready?” Bianca asked as the attendant let us in.

She leaned closer and whispered what Blaze De Gomez was wearing.

Then she fucking disappeared.

I didn’t bother looking for Blaze. I didn’t care.

“Tonic, please,” I told the bartender.

I scanned the room, observing the chaos.

“Not interested,” I said to every guy who tried to come near me. I wasn’t there to flirt.

Eventually, I stepped outside to breathe. The air inside was polluted with cigarette smoke and vape clouds. I tilted my head back, staring at the stars—until someone suddenly bumped into me.

I looked at him.

“Are you okay?” I asked, worried. He could barely stand straight.

Before he could answer, a girl stormed toward us.

“Blaze, why did you leave? I was still talking to you,” she said.

My forehead creased at the name.

Blaze.

I looked at the guy now leaning heavily against me.

This… was Blaze De Gomez?

“Go away, Sheena,” he said, his head still bowed. “I told you, I’m already with someone.”

She scoffed. “Let’s be real, Blaze. You’re not in a serious relationship—not after what happened to you.”

He shook his head, then lifted his face toward her.

Okay. Now I understand why everyone was dying to date him.

He looked like a walking Greek god—especially with those blue eyes.

“I wasn’t supposed to reveal it yet,” he said casually.

Then he pulled me into his arms.

I froze, my face pressed against his chest.

God—his perfume smelled insanely good.

“This is Carmela,” he said smoothly. “We’ve been dating for almost a month now.”

My eyes widened.

What the fuck was he talking about?

And more importantly—

How the hell did he know my name?