Chapter 113 Chasing The Flame

• Jeremy POV
• The jasmine-scented air in Bonnie’s garden was a cruel reminder of Rachel, its sweetness a ghost of her perfume, her laughter, the nights we’d spent dreaming of a future now stolen by her parents’ control. I stood on her weathered brick porch, my hands clenched, my heart a storm of longing and fury, Bonnie’s words still ringing in my ears: Rachel, taken from Miami by Nick and Scarlett, spirited away to keep her from me, her love caged by their fear, their judgments. The sun beat down, Miami’s heat a furnace, but I was cold, hollowed out by her absence, the revelation that she wasn’t here, wasn’t waiting, a wound deeper than the fines I’d paid, the community service I’d accepted, the trial that had set me free but left me incomplete.
• My truck idled nearby, its rumble a faint echo of the drives Rachel and I had shared, her hand warm on mine, the city ours for a stolen moment. Bonnie’s eyes, soft but fierce, held mine, her hand on my arm a lifeline, her voice promising hope I wasn’t ready to trust, not after everything—Celine’s blackmail, Chad’s death, the scandal that had torn us apart.