chapter 46

Kurtis POV

I stared at the door Angela had slammed behind her, my chest still tight, every nerve in my body on edge. Lyra was right there in front of me, standing so still that for a moment, I thought she was frozen in shock. Her eyes, wide and shimmering, seemed to be searching my face, looking for answers. My heart clenched, and I couldn’t stand the silence between us anymore.

“Lyra, please,” I began, my voice cracking with desperation. I took a step closer, reaching out, but she didn’t move. “Don’t believe a word Angela said earlier. You know how she is, always twisting things, making it sound worse than it is. You *know* that it was Angela I was supposed to meet that day. She’s the one who told you to pretend to be her. That’s how we met! That’s how all of this started.”

I watched her closely, bracing myself for her response, for more tears, for the painful look of betrayal that Angela had tried to plant in her eyes. But instead, something unexpected happened. Lyra’s lips quivered