Amara lay awake most of the night, tossing and turning as though the sheets themselves were punishing her. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard his voice again. That cold voice, those words that felt like knives cutting into her chest. Being attracted to you is like a curse to my own self. She pressed her palms against her ears as if it would make them go away but they clung to her mind like a stubborn echo.
She had cried until her pillow was damp. Not loud sobs, but the kind that broke quietly inside her, the kind no one heard. She thought about running into his room and begging him to take the words back, but her pride stopped her. She thought about screaming at him, asking him why he had to hurt her like that when he was the one who admitted to being drawn to her first. Instead sh
