Aliya’s POV

My phone had been buzzing nonstop since Bran picked me up at the house for a dinner date I had accepted, not out of eagerness but out of the desire to let go of some steam, to feel alive for a moment.

Maybe Bran would be the perfect distraction I needed from the chaos my life had become.

Earlier, Liam had kissed me, and my entire body had frozen, every cell locked in place, as if my lungs had been ripped out. Shock turned swiftly into anger and then into pure irritation.

I had shoved him away like my life depended on it, cursing his entire existence for...