Julian’s POV
I hate this.
Every step I take further from Aurelia is a betrayal, not just of her, but of myself. It shouldn’t hurt this much. It’s all an act, a show intended to flush out whoever’s orchestrating it. But damn it, it feels real.
Too real.
As I stroll through the packed hallways, students part for me like the Red Sea, and whispers follow in my wake. They believe they understand what’s happened, that I finally pulled myself atop my high horse and broke it off with Aurelia for being too mediocre to remain my girlfriend.
Let them believe it.
Because if they knew the truth, if they saw how much she means to me, they’d rip her limb from limb even more quickly.”
And I can’t let that happen.
But when I round the corner by the cafeteria, there she is.
Sierra.
She’s leaning s
