Saoirse
I’m supposed to be resting.
But how can I, when the whole f*****g academy is whispering about Cain?
About Chloe.
About a baby that never even had a heartbeat.
My fingers tighten around the edge of the infirmary cot. The sheets smell like antiseptic and shame—and faintly like him. Gods, it’s stupid. But the scent clings to me like a ghost I never invited in.
They say he touched her. Slept with her. Marked her.
Liar.
Liar.
Liar.
And yet, the ache in my chest won’t shut up. Because part of me—pathetic, broken part of me—wants it not to be true so f*****g bad.
A knock breaks through the silence.
I don’t answer.
The door opens anyway.
Cain.
His eyes lock onto mine like I’m the only goddamn thing that matters in this crumbling world. His jaw’s tight, body tense, like he’s
