Jayden's POV
"So, you've truly forgotten about Jasmine?" Palmer's question hit me like a punch to the gut, and I whipped around to face him.
"Who the hell is Jasmine?" The words came out sharper than I intended, but his expression made my blood run cold.
"Sorry, I meant lily flowers, you know..." He stumbled over his words, avoiding my eyes. "I just haven't seen you with lily flowers in ages. You used to love them when we were kids."
Every instinct I had screamed that he was feeding me lies. The way his jaw ticked, how his hands fidgeted, the careful distance he kept between us.
But why would someone so close to me lie to me? What was he hiding?
The drive home stretched like torture. Palmer pressed himself against the passenger window, lost in whatever dark thoughts consumed him. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, biting back the dozen questions burning in my throat.
The silence felt suffocating, like we were drowning in secrets neither of us could voice.
