Can’t Win Me Back

Jonah scoured every corner of the hotel, desperation clawing at his chest, but Julien was nowhere to be found.

"Jonah!" Alyssa called out, breathless as she caught up to him. She grabbed his arm. "Calm down! I'll help you search for Jul!"

"I can't find him. He's gone," Jonah murmured, sinking to the floor. His tears mixed with sweat, creating dark patches on the ground. "Lyse... I fear... if I can't find Julien this time, I'll lose him forever."

The agonizing thought of losing the love of his life pierced him.

"No, you won't!" Alyssa gripped his arm tighter, her voice trembling with conviction. "If Jul had given up on you, he wouldn't have come here today. The fact that he showed up means he still cares."

Jonah's eyes were bloodshot, filled with a pain too deep to hide. He shook his head slowly. "Julien came back for Jasper. He did it because he's loyal... because he's a good friend. Not because of me."

"He does care!" Alyssa insisted. "If he didn't, he would've faced you without flinching. But he didn't. He left without a word because he was avoiding you, Jonah. He just"

Jonah cut Alyssa off, finishing her sentence. "He just doesn't want to see me. Because I'm a source of nothing but pain and rage for him, isn't that it?"

pain in his heart felt like a physical wound,

approached, his

rough. Turning to Jonah, he hesitated before

go?" His voice was

me to pass this

in a low voice, "Dr. Lovelace said to please stop looking for him. He doesn't want to see you

his words carefully, Xavier conveyed the gist of Julien's message, omitting the harshest parts. He simply couldn't bring himself to repeat them verbatim-the actual

hit Jonah like a punch to the chest. He stood frozen, the world blurring

around?" Alyssa inquired with

his head.

Landon strode angrily towards them. "Unbelievable! Jasper just left? The star of the show, gone without a word?" Landon

was nothing more for him here," he stated. "He had other things

wrong with his head. He's becoming more and

"Lyse, don't let it get to you. You know Jasper's having neurological problems. It affects his