I froze, my hand hovering over my phone as I stared at the latest message from Cross. I knew I should just block him, like I had before, like I always did when he reached out. But something about this message... it made my chest tighten, a familiar tug pulling at me. His words weren’t just passive—this one felt like a declaration, like he was making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’ll always be here if you need me, Nora. I’ll never let you go.”
I could feel the weight of it pressing against my ribs. I should’ve known better than to read it, but my fingers betrayed me. They’d moved without my permission, opening the message like I was somehow still attached to him in some way—like he still had some hold over me.
"BLOCKED."
I was done with him. I had to be. Vincent was all I needed.
