#Chapter 45: Denial Denial and…Rage.

Lauren I tore myself away, the heat of Alexander’s lips still searing into mine, a phantom touch that refused to fade even as the icy grip of reality clenched my chest. My breath came in sharp, shallow bursts, but it wasn’t passion that stole my air—it was the weight of the truth I had just unleashed. His hands stayed on my waist, a silent plea not to let go, as if holding me could tether us to a moment already slipping away. His dark eyes locked onto mine, a storm brewing in their depths, desperate and unrelenting. “What?” he rasped, his voice raw, each syllable cracking under the strain. “Lauren… I don’t understand—” His words faltered, his confusion bleeding. Honestly, I’m not sure I did either. I took a step back, and then another, creating a chasm between us so wide I feared we’d never cross it again. The air between us felt charged, crackling with the remnants of a connection I was about to sever. “Liam and I,” I began, my voice trembling, each word an agonizing bet