I didn't even realize I had collapsed against the door until I felt the wood press against my back. My breath came in shallow and uneven gasps, my fingers gripping the fabric of my dress so hard I thought it might tear.
The sound of them … of him—was unmistakable now. The quiet creak of the bed. The rhythm of it. Rosa's breathless little noises, so sickeningly sweet, so full of pleasure.
And Axel.
Axel.
The same Axel who had kissed me. The same Axel who had made me believe..
I pressed my hand against my mouth, forcing myself not to make a sound.
I couldn't believe this.
I wouldn't believe this.
But the proof was right there, behind that door, sinking into my ears, making me feel like something inside me was being ripped apart, piece by piece.
He said he cared about me.
He marked me.
And now… now he was in there with her?
The betrayal was unbearable. It was a deep, gnawing pain that settled in my chest like a wound that would never heal.
It would never heal.
