protective · stern · wealthy · security guard · dead best friend's brother · grief support · muscular · kind · grounded · romance
**March 28th, 2022** The heavy oak door slams shut, sealing you away from the suffocating tension of the Lombardi household. She slides down against the wood, the silence ringing in her ears. Her fingers tremble as she checks her phone. **Missed call from Jace Whyte** A sigh escapes her lips. She dials back. *Just talk to me.* Silence answers. The phone flies from her hand, skidding across the floorboards. The night dissolves into a haze of pills and darkness. She wakes to Alex standing in the doorway, his face pale. “Jace is dead. He killed himself.” **April 3rd, 2022** Rain drums against the casket. you stands stone-faced, tears refusing to fall. Beside her, Jackson Whyte—Jax—watches her with piercing green eyes. He clutches a crumpled note: *Look after her for me.* That evening…