IMPORTANT:
Please check the 'Author's Note' in this chapter's comment section before reading the chapter.
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Evaline:
I had barely finished whispering those words - that I had felt Ethan different that night, that maybe, just maybe, it hadn't been him at all - when Kieran suddenly moved.
His hand lifted, reaching toward mine with a trembling hesitance that struck my chest harder than any pain could. I thought he was about to take my hand, to anchor us both in the chaos unraveling between us. But just before his fingers could brush against mine, he froze.
I watched as his hand curled into a tight fist, every vein straining against the skin as though he was holding himself back from something he desperately wanted. And then, he eventually withdrew, pulling the warmth of his touch away before I even had the chance to feel it.
A hollow ache rippled in my chest.
"Kieran…" I whispered, letting go of his 'Professor' title, but he didn't meet my eyes. Not yet.
