Chapter 16: The Price of Survival
{Mia’s P.O.V.}
Her words stung, each one driving home the reality of the situation I had set in motion.I had played with fire, and now, I was left to deal with the ashes. I should've defended myself, flashed my trademark sweet smile, and spun those smooth, honeyed words that might’ve fooled her into thinking everything wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I was too tired—too exhausted from the endless spiral of mistakes and consequences.
It felt like a cruel return to my past, the familiar sting of rejection and isolation washing over me. Once again, I was the outcast, the one everyone despised and abandoned. Yet this time, there was no righteous indignation to cling to, no innocent defense. I couldn’t even claim to be blameless anym
