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Chapter 24– Shattered Masks
Ashley’s POV
The week crawled by like a punishment. Every morning Ashley walked into the classroom, she felt it. The stares. The whispers. The sly smirks from Kika and her crew. But worst of all, the empty space that used to feel safe.
William didn’t sit with her and Lia anymore. Not always. Sometimes he’d pass through, smile tight, drop a casual comment, but then he’d be gone again—pulled into Charlotte’s orbit.
Charlotte Monroe.
Ashley hated herself for how much she thought about her. She hated the way Charlotte’s laugh carried down the hall, the way she looked so natural walking beside William, like they’d been carved out of the same polished world. But most of all, she hated that Charlotte wasn’t cruel. Not like Kika. No, Charlotte was kind. Smart.
