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“I don’t follow.” He shakes his head like he’s genuinely confused.

“I wanted you to tell her because if you did, it would mean that you at least felt something for me. It’s clear to me now that you don’t.”

“Don’t assume you know how I feel.”

I flinch at the harshness of his words.

“Then tell me... Tell me how you feel.”

When he doesn’t say anything, a humorless smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” I shake my head, moving to step past him.

“Char.” His hand closes around my forearm. I meet his gaze, waiting for him to say something... anything. Instead, he stares at me for a long, tense moment, and then his hold on me vanishes. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” I blink back tears. “Me too.” With that, I take off back inside my building, able to hold off my sobs until I’m in my dorm room.

I close the door, lock it, and then proceed to collapse onto the floor, feeling like my chest is being cracked open as I burst into tears.

“Char?” I blink, once then twice, the action of opening my eyes painful as Maisie’s face comes into view. “Are you okay?” Her expression is full of concern, and only then do I realize I’m still lying on the floor, curled into the ball I apparently cried myself to sleep in.

Fresh tears bubble to the surface as everything comes flooding back.

Lyric...

River...

The way he just let me walk away, not an ounce of fight in him.

Because he doesn’t love you. My inner voice is a petty little bitch.

“Come here.” Maisie lowers herself to the floor, pulling my head into her lap, her hand sliding through my hair.

“He just... let me walk away,” I choke out, my voice hoarse as it scratches past my too-dry throat.

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“River...” I swipe away the tears that blur my vision. “Lyric, she...”

“I know,” she says soothingly.

“You do?” I roll onto my back so that I’m looking straight up at her.

“Lyric told me that she suspected something was going on and when you two were last to meet them, she came here and found River in your room and you half-naked.”

“Does she know that you knew?” I sniff.

Maisie nods.

“Oh, Mais... I’m so sorry.” This only makes me cry harder.

“It’s okay. You didn’t make me lie. I made that choice for myself.”

“Is she really mad?”

“I wouldn’t say mad. She’s more hurt than anything.”

“Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”