SCARLETT
“What were you trying to say?” I asked Zayden, my voice barely steady as I searched his eyes. I needed to know—I needed to hear it from him. My heart pounded so hard I could barely breathe, anticipation and fear coiling in my chest.
But just like that, the flicker of vulnerability I thought I saw in him vanished. His expression shifted, his features hardening like stone, as if he had just remembered something—something that forced him to shut down. His jaw tightened, and when he finally spoke, his words sliced through me like a blade.
“That kiss… it was a mistake,” he said flatly, his voice devoid of any emotion.
A mistake.
The words echoed in my head, each syllable a sharp sting, cutting through my fragile hope. My breath hitched, my throat tightening as my mind raced to pr
