Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 136

Willa nodded. "Don't worry, I'll wait until he's fully recovered before I leave."

Miles didn't push the issue any further.

Still, having another man—and Randal's best friend at that—suddenly occupying her private space felt incredibly awkward.

So, after a bit more small talk with Miles, she retreated to the guest bedroom.

Everything she had left behind was exactly where she had placed it. She opened her suitcase, pulled out her laptop, and prepared to get some writing done.

Before booting it up, she gave Sophie a call.

It barely rang once before it was picked up.

"Willa Vance!" Sophie shrieked through the receiver. "Where the hell did you go? I just dropped stuff off for you, and the apartment is completely empty!"

Willa pulled the phone away from her ear, waiting for the shouting to die down before bringing it back.

"Sophie, I'm at Randal's place. Don't worry."

The other end of the line absolutely exploded, the volume even louder than before.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! SAY THAT AGAIN!"

"I'm at Randal's." Willa quickly offered a brief explanation. "Something happened last night. He saved me and brought me back here."

"Something happened? What happened? Are you hurt? Is it serious? How are you feeling?!" Sophie fired off a rapid string of questions.

"I'm fine, just a few superficial scrapes. They've already been treated."

She gave a brief rundown of the previous night's events, purposefully leaving out the part where she got slapped to keep Sophie from panicking.

But with Sophie's fiery temper, she still couldn't hold back.

"Silas Zeller, right? I'm telling Corbin to destroy him. How dare he touch my best friend? I am so pissed off!"

"Sophie, calm down..."

"Calm down, my ass! Willa, have you lost your mind? Why were you running around outside by yourself? Didn't I tell you to stay indoors?"

Willa was momentarily stunned by the yelling, but then she smiled.

"It's not entirely like that," Willa mumbled, her voice growing quieter.

"Willa, you hopeless romantic, you are going to be the death of me," Sophie snapped, her anxiety flaring up again.

"Sophie, don't be mad. I just want to help him get through this. I have no intention of getting back together with him."

"Willa, ask yourself honestly—is that really what you want?"

Willa was stumped. She had no answer to that.

Her rational mind constantly screamed at her to stay away from Randal, but every time she saw him, she found herself irresistibly drawn to him.

Perhaps that was the most pathetic part of it all.

She was fully aware that she was slowly drowning, yet entirely powerless to stop it.

"Sophie, once he's better, I'll leave."

Willa said this to Sophie, but she was mostly just trying to convince herself.