Vanessa.
How could he take the arrow for her?
The question had been circling my mind endlessly, refusing to settle, refusing to make sense no matter how many times I tried to reason it out.
Why had everything come to this?
My fingers curled slowly at my sides as I paced the length of my room, my heels clicking faintly against the polished floor. Each step only seemed to fuel the storm brewing inside me.
What exactly did he want people to think?
My jaw tightened.
Adrien… was engaged to me.
That fact alone should have been enough. It should have been clear, unquestionable, respected. Yet somehow, everything had begun slipping out of place.
How could he be so careless?
How could he throw himself in front of an arrow… for her?
For Maria.
The thought alone made something sharp twist inside my chest.
I stopped walking abruptly, my breath coming out uneven as I pressed my lips together.
Just as I was about to sink deeper into my thoughts…
Bang!
