*Isla*

“No?”

I repeat Maddox’s response to asking him to leave my room, unable to believe that he’s just replied to me in that fashion.

“What do you mean no?” I ask him. He’s just driven four hours to speak to me about the queen contest I’ve found about from my cousin, but when I’ve reached a point of being so unbelievably frustrated I can’t handle it anymore, I need a break from him. I need him to just go.

“I mean, no, I’m not leaving. Not right now. Not when you’re still so angry at me,” he says with a simple shrug.

“Maddox, clearly, there’s nothing that you can...