The storm brewing on Sean’s face was unmistakable. The alt around him turned ice–cold pressure building like aing thundersion.

Zar was still stuck bin /bthe past, clinging bto /bwhat–its.

“Charlotte. if you’d just told me the truth, we might already be married by now. We could’ve been so happy.”

Charlotte simply looked at lúm—quietb, /bexpressionless. Like a stranger.

“Did you forget, Zac? You once said you’d never marry me. Your mother, Monica, humiliated me to my face. She said girls like me weren’t good enough for the Gibson family ”

Those words, slurp as knives, bnded /bsquarely in bZer’s /bchest.

His eyes filled with tears. His woler cracked.

“The only thing that ever let us apart was status. That’s gone now. There’s nothing stopping us

He took a step forwardb, /breaching out to take her hand–groping at onest chance.

But before he could touch her bseau /bnded a brutal kick to his chest, licking him t to the ground. Wither salg beat, Sean stepped forward, bhis /bpolished leather shave pressing down hard on Zac’s face, grinding it into the floor.

The bcrowd /bgasped.

The broom /bdarkened with the storm in Sear’s eyes. His voice was low,ced with fury.

*i wamed byou/b. bTouch /bbher /bagain, and I’ll ruin you.”

Zac didn’t bteis /b

Low his face.

Hey there blike /bba /bdead fish, blifeless /bon the bfloor/b, Sean’s bfoot /bstill on

He tumed his bhead /bbslightly/b, looking up at Charlotte with hollow, bloodshot eyes. bDespair /bbspread /bthrough every part of him like poison in his veins.

was in that moment be realized just how pathetic he had breit.

i willi memodesb, /bune all other like old film reels shing before his eyes Scenes from their time together, i Dow twisted into des clicing though his heart.

, magents of intimacy andughter,

Helud messed everything bup /b

He had refused to go home with her, let his mother humiliate her without saying a word, uded Wendy and like a trophy, and even told her right in front of Wendy–that he would never mury bher /b

He tooled around with Wendy, bed /becklessly, and beverance /bstopped to think babout /bhow Charlotte felt.