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LXVI : Unsaid, Unmoved, Unavoidable

Author: Dianna Styles
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-08 22:27:24

The library was nearly empty now, save for the low hum of an old AC unit and the occasional soft cough from a final-year student who looked like he hadn’t slept in three days. I was still in my spot, tucked into the corner of the architectural psychology section, sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor, laptop open on my lap and headphones hanging around my neck like an accessory I never actually used. The caffeine from my morning cappuccino had long worn off, but the adrenaline lingered, courtesy of this morning’s tea and Samuel’s scandalous confession.

I thought I had at least one more peaceful hour left. But then I heard them, quick, purposeful footsteps, the kind only made by low-heeled boots worn by someone in a hurry. Too familiar.

I didn’t even have to turn around before Margo’s voice, always slightly louder than necessary, cracked through the silence like a firecracker.

“Babe,” she called out, emerging from behind the shelves like a character from a noir film. “WHY HAVEN’T
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    The morning came slowly.Sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, brushing against my skin like warm fingers that weren’t quite ready to wake me up. The air in the room was still cold, but something kept me from moving.An arm around my waist. Heavy. Warm. Familiar.Aaric.Once again, he was holding me like I was the only thing keeping him from falling. Like my body was the anchor that kept him alive.I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. Almost seven. Still enough time before I had to get ready for the shoot. But my body didn’t want to move. Not yet.I thought I’d have trouble sleeping after last night—after the blood, the gunshots, and seeing the true face of Aaric’s world. But instead, I slept more soundly than I had in a long time.And that... was a problem.I took a deep breath and slowly peeled myself out of Aaric’s embrace. It wasn’t easy. He mumbled something in his sleep but didn’t wake up. His arm dropped onto the bed as I got u

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