Zayne
“Zayne…” Isla called after me, her voice cracking like she was trying to hold the world together with her bare hands, something inside me flinched.
But I didn’t stop. Couldn’t.
If I did, I’d say something I’d regret. Or worse, I’d drag her into the chaos roaring in my chest.
So I ignored her. I pretended I didn’t hear my name.
And I slammed the door shut behind me hard enough for the frame to rattle.
My breath came sharp, uneven, and I leaned a hand against the hallway wall for a second just to steady myself. My knuckles ached from clenching them. My jaw, too. Everything in me was tight.
“You can’t even protect your sister… and you want to protect me?”
It replayed. Over and over. Like someone carving it into the back of my skull.
Why the f**k did her words hit that deep?
I
