The cab ride home blurred before Bella's eyes. The city lights that usually felt alive and golden now looked harsh and mocking, each flicker a cruel reminder of what she had just seen.
She sat rigidly in the back seat, her fingers clutching her phone so tightly her knuckles had gone white. Jake's name still glowed faintly on the screen. She wanted to throw the device out the window, to scream until the world stopped spinning — but all she could do was stare blankly, heart pounding, breath shallow.
How could he?
The question looped endlessly in her head.
By the time the car pulled up in front of Chloe's apartment, her hands were trembling. She tossed some bills at the driver, stepped out, and walked toward the door with quick, unsteady steps.
Every step felt heavier than the last. Her throat burned with the effort of holding herself together.
