Caught In His Embrace: A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 133

D

This neighborhood in Jeiacrity wasn’t exactly low–end, but it certainly wasn’t high–class either, especially compared to Cedric’s family background.

Josiah parked the car and glanced at Sienna through the rearview mirror. His tone was flat. “Go ahead. He’s inside.”

As for him, he wasn’t going in. “I’ll wait here for you.”

After a pause, he added, “If you decide to stay, just give me a call or send me a text, okay?”

What if they met and couldn’t bear to part? That was entirely possible.

As he spoke, Josiah nearly bit his tongue. He shot a quick glance at Sienna, feeling an uncharacteristic surge of irritation.

“Aren’t you going yet? Hurry up.” If she didn’t go soon, he might regret it.

“Oh, okay.” Sienna was a little confused. ‘What’s going on with him? He is fine one minute and then snapping the next. His moods are all over the place,‘ she wondered.

She turned and opened the car door, stepping out. Following the address Josiah had given her, she made her way to Cedric’s place.

It was a small apartment, rented by Cedric’s college friend. There wasn’t much space, no surprise, considering Cedric’s bank card had been frozen, and he wasn’t allowed any help from relatives or friends.

Sienna took a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

“Sienna? You…” Cedric opened the door, surprised and pleased. “How did you know I was here?”

Sienna didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she smiled and said, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Oh, right.” Cedric quickly stepped aside. “Come in.”

*Sienna, have a seat…” Cedric fumbled around, heading for the fridge. “What would you like to drink?”

“No need.” Sienna shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about that. I came here to talk to you.”

“Okay.” Cedric still grabbed a bottle of water and placed it in front of Sienna.

He seemed a little nervous, giving a forced smile. “I’m only staying here temporarily.”

He hadn’t reached out to Sienna for the past couple of days. He didn’t want her to see him in such a pitiful state. But he hadn’t expected….

“Sienna,” Cedric said, hands clasped together, trying to mask his unease, “Do you know everything?”

“Yes.” Sienna nodded. “Why go through all this? Didn’t you tell your parents that we don’t have anything between us?”

“Sienna.” Cedric froze, his face turning pale.

“Don’t say that. Hearing it from you hurts more than being kicked out of my house,” he said quietly.

Sienna closed her eyes for a moment. She felt guilty, like she was the one at fault.

“Cedric,” she said, pursing her lips and speaking gently, “Don’t make things worse with your parents. Go back and talk to them. They only want what’s best for you.”

“Sienna…” Cedric felt his heart sink. The pressure he’d been under in the past few days had been overwhelming.

But even so, he hadn’t given up. He planned to get things together in a few days and then go find Sienna.

“You’re worried about me, right?” Cedric quickly shook his head and explained, “I’m fine. I just need a little time to get back on my feet. With my education, I’ll find a job soon.”

No. Sienna’s words caught in her throat, unable to bear hearing him say it. “You’re the only son. You shouldn’t have to go through this.”

“Sienna…” he pleaded.

“Let me finish,” Sienna said, taking a deep breath. “A good relationship should be about lifting each other up, not holding each other back.”

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2:04 PM

Chapter 133

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She looked directly into his clear eyes. “Cedric, I don’t want to be a burden to you. You’re the only real friend I have here in Jeiacrity, and I can’t let you get hurt because of me.”

“Sienna…” he almost cried.

Sienna stood up, her eyes brimming with tears. “Go home. I’m not worth it. I won’t be in touch with you again after this.”

With that, she turned and ran out the door.

“Sienna!” he called out.

Without looking back, Sienna kept running ahead, hearing Cedric’s footsteps behind her. “Sienna!”

In the car, Josiah was idly scrolling through his phone. He glanced up and saw Sienna and Cedric running toward him, one after the other.

“What’s going on?‘ Josiah wondered. Before he could react, Sienna opened the passenger door and got inside.

Cedric continued, “Sienna…”

“Drive.” Sienna was visibly upset, her voice sharp as she barked the command at him.

Josiah froze for a moment.

“Sienna.” Cedric caught up, pounding on the car window. “Sienna, don’t leave…”

Josiah couldn’t catch everything he said through the window, but he watched Sienna with confusion.

“You, him, you two…” he hesitated.

“Drive,” Sienna shouted, covering her ears and shutting her eyes. “Didn’t you hear me? Drive!”

“Okay… fine.” Josiah hesitated. He had never been spoken to this way before, and for some reason, it made him feel… a little intimidated. He started the car obediently.

As the car pulled away, Josiah glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Cedric still running after them, getting smaller and smaller until he was out of sight.

“Hey,” Josiah muttered, furrowing his brow. “You really don’t care about him? So, what did you two even talk about?”

“Drive faster,” she ordered.

Josiah wondered, ‘Alright, alright.’

He stepped on the gas, and the car sped up. Slowly, Cedric’s figure disappeared completely.

Suddenly, Sienna lifted her hand to cover her face. Josiah’s heart skipped a beat. She was crying.

If she was crying, that meant she really cared about Cedric. The thought made Josiah feel uneasy, and his bad mood flared up again.

“Why are you crying? If you care that much about him, you should be clinging to him, not running away,” his tone was cold.

Sienna froze, then quickly moved her hand away. “Stop the car.”

“Stop the car? We can’t park here.” Josiah refused.

“I told you to stop,” Sienna insisted, gripping the car door and pulling it. “Stop. I need to get out.”

“Hey!” Josiah panicked. ‘Don’t move around like that. It’s dangerous.”

“Stop the car!” she roared.

She was so worked up that Josiah had no choice but to pull over, turning the wheel to park on the side of the road.

Without missing a beat, Sienna flung the car door open and jumped out.

“Sienna.” Josiah, concerned, followed her out of the car.

She had just been crying, and now she was charging ahead recklessly. He couldn’t help but worry. What if something happened? Whether it was bad luck or just his bad mouth, he wasn’t sure.

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2:04 PM

Chapter 133

Sienna stepped forward, and a car approached from the intersection, heading straight for her.

“Sienna!” In that instant, Josiah’s heart almost stopped. He lunged at her, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into his arms, stumbling backward and leaning against the car.

As they collided with the car, Josiah quickly supported the back of her head with one hand and shielded her back with the other, making sure she wouldn’t hit her head.

The car sped past them, the driver sticking his head out the window and yelling, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don’t drag others down with you. Damn it, unlucky.”

Sienna, still shaken, looked up at Josiah, her eyes wide with shock and anger.

“Are you out of your mind?” Josiah’s expression darkened. “You can’t be with Cedric, and now you’re willing to risk your life?

“If that’s the case, why did you leave earlier? What happened to the determination you had when you were chasing after me years ago?”

Sienna’s eyes narrowed, her gaze turning sharp.

“Do you really not know why I left? You seriously don’t know?” she asked.