*Natalie’s POV**
The word hit me with the force of a physical blow.
*"No."*
My breath caught violently in my throat, a suffocating lump forming instantly. I stared up at Gavin, my heart hammering a frantic, terrifying rhythm against my ribs. The cold, unyielding wall he had built between us felt completely impenetrable. Every nerve ending in my body was screaming in sheer panic, but beneath the fear, a desperate, raw frustration was beginning to bleed through.
"No?" I repeated, my voice trembling, barely a skin-deep whisper as tears burned hot and heavy behind my eyelids. "What... what did I even do that is making you this angry, Gavin? Because I swear to God, I don't remember doing a single thing to hurt you!"
Gavin didn't move. He stood carved out of granite, towering over me, his d
