JANAYAH

It felt like the room tilted.

Like the floor dropped.

My pulse stumbled so hard it hurt.

Unwanted.

The word hit like claws scraping down my chest—cold, sharp, deep.

But he didn’t look away.

Didn’t soften it.

Didn’t try to take it back.

Because it was the truth.

Raw.

Ugly.

And his.

I sucked in a shaky breath, my fingers trembling in my lap.

My ears were still ringing from the sound of his voice — the single, ugly, honest word that had settled between us like hot coals.

Unwanted.

It tasted like metal in my mouth.

I stared at him, trying to read the expression on his face...