Chapter 161

Yvaine stiffened, but it was too late, he was already striding over. Cassian stopped right in front of her and gave a shallow nod. No words. Just the bare minimum to make it look civil. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ I snapped. ‘You’re blocking our way.’ His smile twitched, then vanished completely. ‘Yvaine—’ ‘And I are just leaving. Come on, Yvaine.’ We cut through the crowd towards a side corridor. At the end of it, there was a narrow balcony tucked behind a set of white lattice doors. The music sounded distant from here. I asked, low, ‘Still stuck on him?’ Yvaine let out a thin breath. ‘It’s only been a few weeks. If I could drop him that fast, I’d be exactly like him.’ She used to tell me she was over him. At least now she was being honest. ‘He’s swapped out two already,’ she said flatly. ‘I don’t know why I thought I ever mattered.’ I stayed quiet. She wasn’t looking for advice. ‘It’s fine. I’ll feel like shit for a bit. Then I won’t. All I need is a bit of time.’ I patted he