The weight of betrayal sat heavy on my chest as I left the Atkins residence, my mind a chaotic mess of anger, doubt, and something dangerously close to heartbreak. The picture of Grachelle and Ram burned in my thoughts, a cruel reminder of the secret she had kept from me. I had trusted her. More than anything, I believed that no matter what, she would never lie to me. But she had. And that single truth was more painful than I could bear.
I needed a drink.
I found myself at a bar, barely aware of how I had gotten there. I sat at the counter, fingers tightening around the glass in front of me as I stared at the amber liquid, my mind replaying every moment of the last five days. The way Grachelle had pulled away from me. The distance in her eyes. The hesitation in her voice when I confronte
