Snow drifted across town like soft white ash, settling over rooftops, benches, and the lonely girl sitting outside her apartment building. Arielle hugged her knees to her chest, chin tucked into her scarf, letting the cold numb her thoughts.
It was easier than feeling.
The fight in the bookstore replayed over and over. Noah saying you need to fix yourself first echoed like a slap she couldn’t dodge. She knew he hadn’t meant to hurt her, but intent didn’t soften the ache. And the magic—her magic—felt like a candle flickering in a storm.
Weak. Flickering. Threatening to extinguish.
A shameful thought whispered at the edge of her mind:
Maybe Noah was right to pull away. Maybe I really don’t deserve him.
Arielle blinked hard.
“No,” she whispered into the night. “Don’t think like that. S
