TESSA'S POV.

My breath hitched in my throat and the world seemed to shrink to the space occupied by Adrian's heated gaze. His words echoed in the hollow hallway, my heart was thumping faster than I could control.

"I love you," he'd said, and the raw desperation in his voice resonated within me, a stark contrast to how I felt. I didn't even know what to feel.

But those words seemed pretty far fetched. Years ago, I would have been happy but this time, hearing him say those words only brought back bitter memories, one's that made my blood boil with determination.

The hand gripping my wrist felt impossibly tight,...