The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting elongated shadows across the forest floor. Lila leaned against the rough bark of a tree, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she watched the clearing ahead. The soft rustling of the night wind seemed to mock her, carrying whispers that didn’t exist. Caleb’s words from earlier echoed in her mind, and no matter how hard she tried to shake them, they stuck to her like glue. His unyielding faith in Selene, his gentle smiles, the way he’d looked at her as if she were the answer to everything—it was unbearable.
Lila’s heart squeezed painfully, a mixture of anger and something more raw, more desperate. She doesn’t deserve him.
She clenched her fists, digging her nails into the bark. If she focused hard enough, she could almost imagine the
