LILY
The moment my brain caught up with what I was doing, I pushed him.
Hard.
Ronald stumbled back a step, more from surprise than force, his grip loosening on me as I created distance between us. My chest rose and fell unevenly, my fingers still tingling from where they had clutched his shirt just seconds ago, like my body hadn’t gotten the memo that this was over.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice low, confused, but not weak. There was still that steadiness in him, that certainty that made everything worse.
“I—” My voice broke, and I shook my head quickly, dragging my hands through my hair as I backed away further. “No. No, I can’t… I can’t do this.”
He stepped forward again, slower this time, more careful, like approaching something fragile. “Lily.”
“Stop.” I held my hand
