Zeke could barely contain his excitement. "You'll stay tonight?" he asked, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. Thalassa sleeping over meant more time with him-and less time with Kris Miller.

Standing beside her, Kris's jaw clenched tightly as he noticed the smug grin on Zeke's face. He knew that even if Thalassa went home with him, all she would do would be to treat him with coldness, but that would be far better than her sleeping over at the house of a man who was in love with her and trying to gain her affection.

Stepping forward, he spoke. "Thalassa, Alden doesn't mind taking us home. There's no need to stay here."

Thalassa slowly turned to him, her expression unreadable. paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "And Kris, you're just

Yes, I know. So you can go back with him." She guest in my house. Don't call it your home."

Kris felt the words hit him like a slap. Jealousy and frustration burned inside him, but he could see she had already made up her mind.

Zeke seized the moment, extending his hand toward Thalassa. "Shall I take you to your room?" he asked, the pleasure in his voice unmistakable.

Kris glared at Zeke's hand, wishing his eyes were bombs.

Thalassa shook her head. "No, thanks. I'll sleep in Luisa's room."

Alden perked up. "Thalassa, please let Luisa know I'm not giving up. I'll come by her office tomorrow to talk."

Zeke looked ready to punch him again, but Thalassa simply nodded before her eyes fell on Kris's shoulder. Alden had helped him change into a new shirt before they arrived, but Thalassa vividly remembered the ripped stitches and the blood that were caused by her actions.

As Alden turned to leave, Thalassa suddenly called out, "Alden?"

He stopped and turned back to her. Both Zeke and Kris followed hus gaze, which made Thalassa shift uncomfortably. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Please take him to the hospital to get his stitches checked. I know he won't go otherwise."

Kris's heart swelled at the concern in her eyes, but before he could respond, Thalassa quickly turned and headed upstairs.

Once at Luisa's door, Thalassa knocked gently. Some seconds later, Luisa's voice came from the other side.

"Alden, just leave me alone, will you?"

Thalassa turned the knob and stepped inside. "It's me."

Luisa, sitting on the bed, looked up, her expression falling slightly. "Oh." Thalassa raised an eyebrow. "You sound disappointed it's me and not Alden." "I'm not disappointed. I'm glad," Luisa replied defensively.

Amusement tugged at Thalassa's lips as she sat beside her. 'If you say so." "I do say so," Luisa muttered, crossing her arms on her chest in annoyance. Thalassa studied her for a moment, then noted, "You don't sound too sure.

Luisa opened her mouth to deny it but, after a moment of silence, she sighed heavily.

"Do you really believe Alden was lying to you?" Thalassa asked softly.

Luisa slumped back onto the bed, covering her face with her hands. "I don't know, Thalassa. But gow can it be such a coincidence that the very day Alden takes me to his penthouse, his ex-girlfriend shows up to 'claim' him?" Sitting up again, Luisa's voice turned bitter. "You should have seen her, Lassa. She was gorgeous." Her face crumpled. "I bet he called her 'gorgeous' too."

"Her being beautiful doesn't mean anything," Thalassa sald firmly. "What matters is what Alden told you. She's from his past, and she cheated on him. Kris confirmed it in the car."

Luisa raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You trust Kris now?"

Thalassa stiffened, glaring at her. "That's beside the point believe Alden deserves the benefit of the doubt. How could he have known his ex would show up out of the blue

"It's not just that she's his ex," Luisa replied, her lips tightening. "If he's telling the truth, she broke up with him, not the other way around."

Thalassa raised a questioning eyebrow. "So?"

Luisa stared at her incredulously. "So if she was the one who left him, then he probably still has feelings for her.. How long before he goes back to her now that she wants him again?"

"Come on, Luisa," Thalassa scoffed. "You know Alden better than that. He respects himself too much. Unless..." She paused, her voice softening. "This is about something else, isn't it? What is it?"

Luisa hesitated, then sighed. "It's just... when I caught Brandon cheating, he made me feel like I was crazy, like it was all in my head because I was insecure. He made me doubt myself."

Thalassa's voice softened. "But Alden's not Brandon."

"I said the same thing about Abel. And Victor. And they all turned out to be scoundrels," Luisa said with a sad smile. "Maybe I'm just terrible at picking men." "Maybe," Thalassa said mock seriously. "Or maybe you finally made the right choice with Alden. You can't judge him based on what happened with the others." Suddenly, Luisa started giggling, covering her mouth.

Thalassa couldn't help but laugh too even as she asked. "What's so funny?"

Luisa giggled harder. "I'm sorry, but you sounded like you were giving me advice on moving on. You, of all people.

Thalassa's smile faded instantly. "This is different, Luisa. Alden has never hurt you. This could all be a misunderstanding. But Kris..." Her voice wavered with emotion. "Kris hurt me, didn't didn't trust me, and didn't protect me. He has no right to say he wants me back." The sudden rise in Thalassa's voice caught Luisa's attention. "Kris told you he wants you back? What did you say?"

Thalassa's face hardened. "What do you think I said? I told him he was out of his mind, of course."

But her steely expression faltered for a brief moment. Luisa noticed. "Something happened, didn't it?"noveldrama

Thalassa hesitated, then admitted bitterly, "I... I almost let him kiss me."

Luisa's eyes widened in realization. "And now you're mad at yourself because... you still have feelings for him."

"What? No! How could I still have feelings for him after everything-"

Luisa raised a hand to cut her off. "The more defensive you get, the more I'm convinced that I'm right."

Thalassa's heart raced, her breath quickening. The truth she had tried so hard to suppress came crashing down on her with Luisa's words.

"So what?" she snapped. "What if I do still have feelings for him? It's just stupid emotions. I'm going to tear everything out of my system." Luisa's expression softened with pity. "And what if you cant?"