Chapter 16

By the time I stepped out of that room, my legs felt like they were made of sand. Each step dragged, heavy and uneven. My body moved on autopilot, but my mind was still trapped in that room—with him, with those eyes, that voice, that unbearable closeness. I hadn’t realized how tightly I’d been holding myself until I made it down the hallway and my shoulders dropped, trembling. My breath came out shaky. My heart was still hammering like it was fighting to escape my chest. It wasn’t just fatigue. It was deeper than that. Like every cell in me had been pulled taut, stretched and twisted by the strange tension in the air. By his presence. By the way he spoke to me like he already owned some part of me. I hate Sebastian for making me feel this way. And worse—by the part of me that didn’t push back as hard as it should’ve. My hands were clammy. My throat was dry. Even blinking felt like too much effort. God, I was tired. Tired in a way that sleep couldn't fix. I wandered the streets aimlessl