No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

I lowered my gaze, staring at the tips of my sneakers. "Let's go."

Jefferson, with the patience of a saint, loaded my bags into the trunk, held the car door open for me, and after ensuring I was comfortably seated, shut it gently before taking the wheel. "Jefferson, how did things spiral out of control? It was just a game of basketball..." I wasn't blaming him, just pondering aloud.

What seemed like a trivial matter had somehow ruffled the feathers of Henrik and then Brown, plunging everyone into a state of paranoia. It felt as if danger lurked around every corner. Conrad's words echoed in my mind, "Who do you think is pulling the strings? Why target you specifically?"

"I've been wrestling with that question myself. The real puzzle is figuring out what the mastermind hopes to achieve," Jefferson chimed in, picking up where I left off.

Thinking about everyone involved, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "It's like they're trying to catch us all in one fell swoop."

"Especially the men connected to you," Jefferson added, providing a moment of clarity.

Indeed, Conrad, Jefferson, and Ernest-all had ties to me.

"Guess this mystery person has a thing for you. They think by kicking us three out of the way, they'll have a free run," Jefferson joked.

But his words sent a chill down my spine, bringing Dustin's diary to mind.

Dustin been in Houston recently?"

the rearview mirror. "I'm not

teasing, my voice tight. "He spent four

years was enough time to build a network and a

right-if all this chaos was indeed about me-then Dustin was the only

dates in his diary were suspicious. He claimed to be

one thing: he had returned in

what? Surely not just

for what he wanted,

voice snapped me back

over. "Could it be

stunned.

from Dustin's diary, Jefferson fell silent, his

a while, he

conclusions without evidence,

that reckless,"