Chapter 106
Maddie
The alley behind the club was dimly lit, shadows stretching across the cracked pavement. The distant thrum of music and muffled laughter from inside faded into the background as I stormed out, my head spinning, my heart pounding. I didn’t care where I was going; I just needed to get away. Away from the suffocating heat of the crowd, away from Stephen’s constant presence.
But of course, he followed.
“Maddie,” he called, his voice steady but low, a sharp contrast to the storm raging in my chest.
I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
“Maddie, wait.” His footsteps quickened behind me, closing the distance between us. “We need to talk.”
I spun around so fast he almost ran into me, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Talk? What the hell do we need to talk about, S
