bChapter /bb22 /b

Aurora’s PO.V

I stood there, frozen, my breath hitching in my throat as theirughter echoed around me. It was like time had stopped, and yet, the world kept moving, leaving me stranded in my own humiliation. My skin burned—not from pain, but from sheer mortification. I couldn’t even fullyprehend what had just happened. My mind was still ying catch–up, reying the moment in slow motion, making it worse with each rey.

Mia’s voice sliced through the ringing in my ears. “Did you feel them?” she asked Shane, her voice dripping with amusement.

Shane, still grinning like this was the funniest thing to ever happen, snorted. “There was nothing to feel.”

Theirughter grew louder, and something inside me snapped. My body moved before my brain could catch up, my hand flying up with a force I didn’t know I had. The sharp crack of my palm meeting Shane’s face was like a gunshot in the air, silencing everything.

Shane’s head snapped to the side, hisughter dying instantly. A stunned silence stretched between us, thick and heavy, before his face twisted into something ugly–anger, pure and venomous. His nostrils red, his jaw clenched, and I could see the moment he decided he wasn’t going to let this slide. He turned to me, eyes darkening, hands curling into fists at his sides, his entire posture screaming retaliation.

I didn’t move. I refused to move. Even as my heart pounded so hard it hurt, even as I felt the weight of my own reckless decision settle into my

bones, I refused to back down.

And then-

A sudden, deafening bang bsplit /bthe air as a fist came down onto the table with enough force to rattle the tes and sses. The sound was like a warning shot, sharp andmanding. Everyone jumped, including me, my breath catching as I whipped my head towards the source.

Much to everyone’s surprise, it was Caleb who ended the fun. His voice was firm, unwavering.

“Time to go,” he said, and just like that, the energy in the diner shifted. I expected Shane to argue, to push back the way he always did, but instead, he bowed his head slightly and followed orders without a word. That alone was enough to make my stomach twist.

Caroline stood next, her chair scraping against the floor as she moved. She paused for a moment, brushing her fingers against the back of my hand, a silent gesture of understanding–before walking away. One by one, they all left. No questions. Noints. Just the quiet sound of bodies shifting and doors swinging shut.

And then, there was just Caleb.

The air between us was thick, charged. I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry as I took him in. He was mad. That much was clear. His jaw was clenched, his eyes dark with something unreadable. I wasn’t sure if it was anger or disappointment, but either way, it made my heart pound a little harder.

‘Do you have any idea what you just did?” His voice was low, controlled, but I could hear the tension underneath.

I lifted my chin slightly, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “I-

“Don’t,” bhe /bcut me off. “Don’t make excuses. Don’t try to spin this into something it’s not.” He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Do you even understand how dangerous that was?”

1

Of course I knew that, but how was this turning out to be my fault? Why was he trying to me this on me when he saw with his own eyes what I had just suffered!

I study Caleb’s expression for a moment/trying to decipher the storm that brews beneath his sharp gaze. His eyes, dark and unreadable, hold something I can’t quite ce–frustration, maybe? Disdain? But before I can think too much about it, I turn on my heel, ready to leave this humiliating situation behind.

But once again, for the third time, I’m stopped.

His voice cuts through the tension like a de, cold and sharp. “Do you have any self–respect left?” His wordsnd like a p, and I freeze. “You’re really going to take that money after the way it was handed to you?”

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