For a moment, Gianna didn't understand the words that came out of Chelsea's mouth. They floated in the air like smoke—shapeless, meaningless, unreal.
Your one-night stand was Zane?
Her brain stumbled. First confusion—thick, sluggish, like molasses clogging her thoughts. Then the words sank in. Hard. Sharp.
Zane. One-night stand.
Shock jolted through her like a slap, awakening every nerve. Her fingers twitched. Her breath snagged. Her stomach dropped as if the floor had caved under her.
Fear followed—cold, creeping fear—racing beneath her skin. The kind that tightened her chest and sent her heart hammering against her ribs. Because if Chelsea and Areso knew… then others knew. And if others knew…
But the fear lasted only a heartbeat.
Rage came next—violent, scorching, immediate. A wildfire blazing through her veins. Rage at Zane's existence, his idiocy, his negligence, his… him.
