Axle's POV
I turn away from her.
I didn't look back. I didn't need to. If I did, I might lose what's left of my composure, and right now, I'm hanging by a thread so thin, it could snap with one more breath in her direction.
My steps are heavy, precise, echoing against the stone pavement as I head toward the car. The air around me is cool, brushing against the exposed skin of my neck, but it does nothing to quiet the heat pulsing under my collar.
I grip the car key like it's the only anchor I have left.
And then I hear it… soft, deliberate footfalls behind me. The distinct, clipped sound of her heels against the ground. Click. Click. Click. Steady. Reluctant. But still… following.
I whip my head back slightly, just enough to catch her in the corner of my eye. She's behin
