CHAPTER 35
Ariel’s POV
The name.
The name.
The name.
I stared back at the party-burnt ID in arrant shock.
I was lost for words. I didn’t move, I couldn’t.
The room felt smaller all of a sudden, like the walls were leaning into me and pressing against my skin.
My fingers tightened around the locket until the metal dug into my palm.
My body longed for that sharp sting, like the pain was the only thing keeping me from falling away.
That locket belonged to Ariella, that I was sure of.
I had bought it for her with my first paycheck back then.
I couldn't possibly forget how I had wrapped it clumsily in pink paper because she went crazy over pink things back then.
She’d worn it practically every day after that and for months.
I could remember teasing her about it, and also her r
