“Stop following me, Adrian!” Deviana’s voice cracked through the night air in the apartment parking lot. The sharp click of her heels echoed against the pavement as she stormed forward—her steps full of anger, hurt tangled with despair.

Adrian rushed after her, breath uneven. “Deviana, listen to me! I can’t let you walk away like this.”

She spun around, her eyes red and wet. “Do you think I’m not already broken? Do you think I can just believe you so easily after all the lies, the wounds, the humiliating rumors?”

Adrian froze, then stepped closer carefully. “I don’t care what people say. I only care about you. Everything I’ve done…...