Chapter 167

Eden stepped on the stage with her heartbeat accelerating by the second. It was the first round of the competition. If they passed it, they would be qualified for the final round. Eden peeked out the curtains and looked through the crowd to find Bennett but she couldn’t see him anywhere. She held the mic in her hand and paced around behind the closed curtains. She could almost hear her heart beating in her ears, deafening the loud chatter coming from the crowd.

I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this.

Eden felt a hand rest on her shoulder, breaking her reverie. She turned around to see the one thing she had been dying to see. It was Bennett, smiling down at her reassuringly. He could tell that Eden was panicking and he embraced her into a bear hug, tightly pulling her closer to his chest.

Eden felt her heartbeat slowing down and her breaths becoming stable again. She closed her eyes, inhaling Bennett’s familiar scent. “You can do this. Stay