I reach the hallway and turn sharply—already bracing to push through the bathroom door—when I hear her voice.
Not panicked.
Not raised.
Low. Controlled.
Coming from somewhere else.
I stop short.
The supply closet door is cracked just enough to let sound spill out.
I take one step closer.
Then another.
And that’s when I see him.
Elliott.
Too close to her. Too familiar. His body angled in a way that makes something feral snap awake inside me. My hand curls into a fist, already preparing to break bones, already planning exactly where to hit first—
And then Sabrina speaks.
“Only one year.”
The words don’t just land.
They detonate.
My heart slams so hard it steals my breath. My vision blurs at the edges. For a second, I honestly think I might black out.
One year.
The wall hits my back before I realize I’m moving. Cold stone against my shoulders as my knees buckle, my body sliding down it like gravity just doubled.
This—this—is what she really thinks.
After everything.
After last night. After the way she looked at me tonight. After the way she let me believe—let me hope—that we were building something real.
I don’t hear the rest of what’s being said. Blood roars too loud in my ears. My chest feels caved in, hollow and aching, like something vital has been ripped free.
I was a fool.
I let myself forget the rules. Let myself believe love could grow where a contract started. Let myself think I was chosen—not tolerated.
The door flies open.
Light spills into the hallway.
Sabrina steps out—
—and freezes when she sees me.
On the floor.
