Chapter 190

she stood there for a few seconds, frozen in his arms, listening to the sound of her own heartbeat, too fast, too heavy, too confusing. Then she took a deep breath and pushed him away, this time more firmly. “Don’t,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Don’t do this again.” David looked at her silently, something unreadable in his eyes. She didn’t wait for his reply. Without another word, she turned and walked away quickly, her heart still beating wildly. As she reached the end of the hallway, she leaned against the wall for a moment, her hand clutching her chest. What was wrong with her? Why did he still have this power over her? She took another deep breath, trying to calm herself. The announcement for the next round echoed faintly in the distance. It was time to return. She straightened up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and forced her legs to move. No matter what just happened, she wasn’t going to let David ruin this for her. Not again. Round 2 – “Rebirth from Brokenness” The theme