Chapter 11 - The Fallout
The heavy silence that followed Isaiah’s departure felt heavier than the empty apartment itself. The sound of his footsteps faded down the hallway, followed by the soft chime of the elevator doors opening and closing.
Maya stood frozen, the blood draining entirely from her face. "He... he already told my parents?"
"What did he expect you to do?" Zoe asked, stepping out of the kitchen with a look of stunned disbelief on her face. She glared at Corey, then at Maya. "You guys are acting like characters in a terribly written soap opera, and I am officially exhausted."
"Zoe, don't," Maya pleaded, her voice cracking as the reality of Isaiah’s words began to set in. Her parents—traditional, proud, and having spent months bragging about the wedding to their entire extended family—were landing in less than twelve hours to find an empty venue, a cancelled reception, and a disgraced bride.
"Isaiah is right about one thing," Corey said, breaking the silence as he stepped further into the apartment. He reached out and gently touched Maya’s shoulder, the warmth of his hand sending a familiar, electric shudder down her spine. "You don't have to pretend anymore, Maya. The band-aid has been ripped off. The wedding is dead. Now you can actually breathe."
"Breathe?" Maya pulled away from him, her eyes flashing with sudden, defensive anger. "Corey, my entire life just imploded in the span of six hours! My parents are flying in tomorrow morning to attend a wedding that doesn't exist! I have no fiancé, no home, and no idea what I'm doing!"
"Then come with me," Corey said, his voice dropping to an intense, persuasive whisper. He stepped closer, capturing her gaze with those dark, compelling eyes that had haunted her for three years. "Book a flight. Come back to Chicago with me tonight. We can start over. No expectations, no safety nets, just us."
Zoe let out a loud, mocking scoff from across the room. "Are you out of your damn mind, Corey? She just blew up her life because she wasn't over you, and your brilliant solution is to pack her up and take her back to the exact toxic swamp you both escaped from?"
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Before Corey could fire back an angry defense, Maya’s phone lit up violently on the kitchen counter, buzzing with an incoming video call from a contact labeled Mom - Do Not Answer.
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