NADIA’S POV
My heart skips, and for a second I forget how to breathe.
The words he just said don’t fade, they stay there, heavy and wrong, pressing into me like I can’t escape them, and I hate how much they matter when they shouldn’t.
Dum…dum… my heartbeat picks up too fast, loud and uneven, and I swallow hard, trying to steady myself before it shows on my face.
Something stings in my chest, sharp and deep, like I’m being dragged back to a place I fought hard to leave behind.
I shake my head, forcing my voice out before I lose control. “Don’t,” I say quietly, but it still comes out strained. “Don’t talk like that.”
“Like what?” he asks, and there’s something different in his tone now, less confused, more focused, like he’s starting to see something.
My throat tightens as I force the
