Chapter 181

The ride towards the festival location finally came to an end after an hour and a half. As Thomas opened the door, Cillian was the first to step out. Bellatrix followed next, but just as she was about to hop off the car, a hand appeared in front of her. She stopped and blinked at the hand, brows drawing closer in confusion. Then, she glanced at the owner and like a switch flipped, her expression became neutral the moment her eyes landed on Cillian. "I can handle myself just fine," she said and shoved his hand away. That was the first word she'd said to him all morning, but contrary to how Cillian thought he'd feel when he finally heard her speak, it didn’t bring him relief—it felt like a slap laced with ice. Cold and detached. His hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment before he slowly lowered it, the sting of her rejection settling heavier than it should have. She didn’t look at him again as she climbed out of the car. Just walked ahead, her heels clicking against the floor with