She stood sharply, the chair scraping against the floor. The sound was harsh—just like his words.
Her fists clenched.
Babysitting me, huh? That's all I am to him? A burden he dragged around for the day?
Lilliane's breath caught in her throat as she turned and walked away, each step faster than the last until she broke into a run. She didn't care who saw her. She just needed to get away—from Luca, from his scolding voice, from the storm twisting in her chest.
Why does it always end like this? Why does everything I do feel so small?
She ran faster, past shop windows, past chatting students, past everything that reminded her of how far behind she felt. The streets blurred around her, her vision stinging—not just from the wind.
He doesn't understand. He doesn't know what it's like to only ever have one person.
All her life, it had just been Aiden. She never thought she needed anyone else. Never wanted anyone else. But then came Arcadia. New faces. New bonds.
And she didn't fit.
