DON’T STOP (Lila and Darrell) novel Chapter 77

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Chapter 77-

Chapter 77

Darrell

I couldn’t concentrate on anything. The stack of ungraded essays on my desk had been sitting there for two days mocking me. Every time I tried to focus, my mind dragged me right back to her-Bella. The way she’d looked walking out that last night. The way she’d blocked my number like was nothing. The way she’d left her panties behind and never came back for them.

She’d been in my class twice since then. Twice. Both times she sat in the back row, eyes forward, never once meeting mine She answered questions when called on-polite, perfect, professional. Greeted me with a quiet “Good morning. Mr. Black” when she walked in, and that was it. No lingering glances. No small smiles. Nothing

was losing my fucking mind.

‘d fallen for her. Hard. Deeper than I ever meant to. It started as lust-pure, filthy, transactional. But somewhere between he hotel shower and that final night on my bed, it turned into something else. Something that made my chest ache when I hought about her. Something that had me staring at my phone every night, hoping the block would magically disappear

rubbed my forehead, dropped my head back against the chair, and closed my eyes. The office felt quiet and empty around ne. I pictured her walking through the door-short skirt, that nervous little bite of her lip, eyes wide and wanting. Stupid Fantasy. She wasn’t coming back. She’d made that clear.

A knock on the door jolted me.

didn’t bother looking up. “Come in,” I muttered, voice flat.

The door opened. Soft footsteps. A faint scent-something clean, floral, and familiar-hit me before I even lifted my head.

I noticed the curves first. The way the light hit her hips, the dip/of her waist. My pulse kicked hard.

sat up fast.

There in front of me was Bella.

She stood in front of my desk, holding a manila folder, her expression neutral. Professional. Distant

‘Bella?” The name slipped out like a breath.

1 She sighed softly, which was barely audible, and placed the folder on my desk. “Mrs. White asked me to band this to you

Mrs. White. Right. The department meeting notes or whatever bullshit paperwork we passed around like it mattered

“Oh yeah,” I said, nodding like an idiot. “That.”

She gave a small nod. “I’ll leave now,” she whispered.

She turned toward the door.

My heart slammed against my ribs. “Bella.”

She paused hand on the knob. Turned slowly “Yes, Mr. Black”

I stood up hurriedly, the chair scraping loud against the floor. I crossed the small office in three steps, stopping just close enough to smell her shampoo, close enough to see the faint shadows under her eyes

Chapter 77

Are you seriously ignoring fic?”

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t step back Just looked up at me-calm, guarded, like she’d rehearsed this moment

“I’m not ignoring you,” she said quietly. “I’m just done. I told you that.”

“That’s the best for us, sir,” she replied.

Her voice was calm like she’d practiced the words in front of a mirror. “Sir.” The word landed like a slap Not Darrell Not even Mr. Black with that little edge of nervousness she used to have. Just sir. Distant. Professional. Final

I stared at her, chest tight. “And what does that mean?”

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away. Just held my gaze like she’d built walls I couldn’t climb anymore.

‘I know you don’t want this relationship between us anymore,” I said, voice low, rougher than I meant it to be. “But that doesn’t mean you block us out like this. No texts. No calls. No nothing. You just disappear?”

She swallowed. “I needed it to be clean. No back-and-forth. No more money. No more… anything.”

I took another step closer. She didn’t move away, but her fingers tightened on the doorknob.

‘You think that’s clean?” I asked. “Leaving your panties on my floor? Leaving me with nothing but memories and a blocked number? You think that’s fair?”

Her eyes flickered-something raw flashing through them before she locked it down.

‘I forgot them,” she said. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

I let out a short laugh, which sounded bitter and tired. “You forgot them. Right.”

Silence stretched between us. Thick. Heavy.

I wanted to grab her, kiss her, pushing her against the door/and remind her how good it felt when she wasn’t running But 1

didn’t.

Instead, I asked the question that had been eating me alive for days.

‘Do you feel anything? For me? Or was it all just… the money? The grade”

She looked away for the first time since she walked in. Her jaw tightened.

“I felt things,” she said finally, her voice low. “But they weren’t healthy. They weren’t real. They were survival And I done surviving like that.”

My chest tightened. “So that’s it? You walk into my office, drop off a folder, and pretend none of it happened

She met my eyes again-steady now “I’m not pretending I’m moving on. And I need you to do the same

I stared at her. Searched her face for a crack-anger, regret, want, anything.

Nothing. Just seine quiet resolve.

I stepped back. Gave her space.

“Okay.” I said, my voice rough. “If that’s what you want”

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Chapter 77–

he nodded once-Then, she opened the door and walked out

Then she turned, opened the door, and walked out of my office without another word

chers

I did not call her name this the. I simply stood there and watched her leave, just as I had watched her leave so many tunes before.

The door closed behind her with a quiet, definitive click.

I returned to my chair and sat down heavily. I placed my head in my hands and remained still for a long moment. I did not reach for my phone to text her. There was no point; she had blocked me long ago.

I did not run after her down the hallway.

I stayed exactly where I was and stared at the folder she had placed on my desk. It contained nothing more than Mrs. White’s routine meeting notes-ordinary paperwork that suddenly felt completely insignificant.

Everything else in the room felt equally empty and meaningless.

I lifted one hand and pressed it to my chest, right over the dull, persistent ache that had settled there. The pain was steady and familiar now.

Yes, she was gone.

And I had no clear idea how to repair the emptiness she had left behind.

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