Gavin POV
The air in the room grew instantly suffocating. A dark, suffocating heat flared up in my chest, spreading rapidly through my veins like hot poison.
So they *were* sent by Natalie. The realization struck me like a violent blow to the stomach. She was the one who had sent them my private address. She had orchestrated this entire pathetic circus, sending her childhood friends straight to my front door to spin a web of elaborate lies and feed them to me on a silver platter.
*This means Natalie is not real,* I screamed silently at myself, my heart thrashing against my ribs like a wild animal trying to break free. *Everything about her is a lie. Her sweetness, her warmth, her soft touches... none of it is real.*
I sat frozen, my fists clenched so hard on my lap that my fingernails
