Kimi's gaze locked onto Kolton's face, searching for any hint of deception in those midnight-dark eyes. What she found there made her stomach clench with unwanted recognition. Raw fury blazed in his stare, the kind of honest emotion that couldn't be fabricated or hidden behind careful masks.
The intensity of his expression told her everything she needed to know. He wasn't lying.
She forced herself to look away, her pulse hammering against her throat as she pressed her palms against his chest. The solid warmth beneath her hands made her fingers tremble, but she pushed anyway, desperate to create distance between them.
"I don't care what you think you know. Just leave me alone," she said, her voice sharper than intended.
Instead of retreating, Kolton's grip on her arms tightened. His fingers pressed into her skin with just enough pressure to keep her anchored in place, not quite painful but impossible to ignore.
