33

Thirty three

*Rafe*

My knees buckled as realization crashed over me. Kelly had been right. Freya had fled, knowing her secret was out. Pain lanced through my chest, sharper than any blade. She'd left without a word. Without giving me a chance to understand. To forgive. because I knew without a doubt that even if Kelly had claimed Freya was the devil herself, it still wouldn't have kept me away from her.

In that moment, I knew the truth. The inescapable, terrifying truth.

I was falling for Freya Hadid. I didn't know if it was love or something else, I just knew she had me wrapped around her toes.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed in an iron grip as I stared at the empty room, the realization of Freya's absence sinking in like a lead weight. The air felt stiff, suffocating me with the tang of betrayal and heartache.

I stumbled to the open window, my hands gripping the iron until my knuckles turned white. The curtains moved in the evening breeze, mocking me with their gentle da