Eli stood there, frozen in the middle of the street, watching as Serena disappeared into the crowd. Her final words echoed in his mind, sharp and painful like a knife twisted into his chest.
I don’t want to see you. Ever again.
He blinked, trying to grasp the reality of what had just happened. She had walked away—left him, just like that. He hadn’t even had a chance to explain, to tell her how much she meant to him. The raw finality of her words left him feeling hollow and numb. Everything he had thought he was holding together unravelled before his eyes, and the ground felt like it was slipping from beneath his feet.
Solene stood nearby, looking at Eli with concern. The tension in her expression betrayed her guilt, and yet, there was something about her that seemed almost resigned. She
