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She’s private. Sophisticated. Older. We even dare to say she’s the complete opposite of what we expected from Zayn.

Which only makes this entire situation more fascinating.

And perhaps the biggest surprise of all?

Because Zayn Thomas doesn’t seem interested in hiding how obsessed he is with her.

And we promise we’re going to find out all the details about them.

I read one article after another because I can’t make myself stop.

Every headline leads to another, every story to another claim, another photograph, another detail about Zayn and me. With each one, I feel a little more exposed, as if the entire world has been given a front-row seat to a life that was never supposed to belong to them.

Some of the things they write are based on facts. Others are assumptions dressed up as certainty. A few are so far from reality that I almost laugh.

Almost.

Instead, I keep scrolling.

I tell myself I’m trying to understand what happened last night, what exactly people saw, what they think they know about us. But the truth is that I’m only feeding my own anxiety. The more I read, the harder it becomes to separate what is real from what everyone else has decided is real for me.

My thumb is already moving to another article when three consecutive messages from the group chat with Sierra and Thalia appear on my screen.

Sierra: Are we still meeting at noon?

Thalia: Can’t we meet now? I’m alone in this massive house.

Sierra: Perfect. Selene, you’re coming too. No excuses.

A small smile pulls at my lips despite myself.

That’s exactly what I need.

I close the browser, then clear my history, erasing the trail of articles I’ve spent the last hour devouring. The screen goes black in my hand, and for the first time since I woke up, I feel like I can breathe a little easier.

I need a distraction.

From the endless stream of articles about me and Zayn. From the things people think they know about us. From Axel’s message sitting somewhere in the back of my mind.

And, perhaps most of all, from the uneasiness that has been sitting beneath my skin since last night.

I get to my feet, grab my things, and head to Thalia’s house.

For now, I just need something else to think about.

THIRTY-THREE

Zayn

“You came just in time,” Selene says from Thalia’s kitchen as we open the door and file inside, one after another.

The guys and I spent the entire day stuck in meetings at the office. I felt insanely guilty about leaving Selene alone at dawn, knowing she was about to face a complete media circus, but I didn’t have a choice. Besides, there was something important I needed to handle before talking to her.

I thought she was waiting for me at home, but Ethan checked the cameras and saw that all the girls were at his place, so we all came here instead.

We were supposed to gather at Ethan’s house later to go over the final details for the event, and I wanted to talk to Selene first.

Alone.