Violet
The door clicked shut behind me, and I couldn't breathe.
I had waited till night fell and asked Rowan to let me return to my room alone. I had told him I was tired, that I wanted to rest, and that we could look at the stars another time.
He had looked at me with those knowing eyes, and I was certain he saw right through me. He was too smart not to. Too attuned to me not to notice the shift in my demeanour after he kissed my hand, and the way I couldn't quite meet his gaze.
But he had let me go regardless.
Because that was who he was. Patient, understanding, and willing to give me space even when it hurt him.
And that made it so much worse.
The moment I was alone, my chest seized.
I gasped, my hand flying to my throat, but the air wouldn't come. It was like something was pressing down on my lungs, squeezing tighter and tighter until I thought I might shatter.
