Aster's boots echoed in the dim corridor, her blonde ponytail swaying with each determined step, her teal eyes burning with a mix of hurt and fury.
She'd seen Syn slip out of the medic bay, Pako's arm hooked through his, her black bob bouncing as she led him to her room, her laughter a faint echo down the hall.
The sight twisted something in Aster's chest—Syn, so distant with her, yet so easy with Pako, and now tangled up with Olivia, that shapeshifter ghost from his past.
The image of Syn and Olivia hugging, their faces inches apart, lips nearly meeting, looped in her mind, a relentless torment.
He was kissing random women, letting them close, but her?
He'd pushed her away, his apology hollow, Ila's shadow a wall between them. It was maddening, unbearable, and Aster needed answers—now.
Why is Syn avoiding her?
He claimed it was because of Ila's torture, but his explanation doesn't add up.
