Chapter 4
Aurora was practically glowing with smugness as she seized the moment to needle Dominic. "You've been with Clara forever, but your phone's got nothing about her. Don't tell me you forget your binding anniversary, her birthday, and never even celebrate with her?"
Dominic's gaze flickered, landing on my pale face. "Every day's the same to me," he said flatly. "No need to make a fuss over any of them."
Each word was a dagger, slicing into my heart, leaving me speechless with pain.
The room grew heavy with awkwardness, and our old classmates quickly jumped in to change the subject, kicking off another round of the game.
Aurora lost next, drawing a dare card: pick someone in the room and eat a chocolate stick together, lips only. Her eyes locked on Dominic instantly, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Dominic, you're the one I know best here. Help me out with this, yeah?"
The room tensed. Everyone's eyes darted to me, voices overlapping as they tried to shut it down. "He's bound, Aurora. Pick a she-wolf instead."
"It's just a game," Aurora whined, tugging at Dominic's sleeve, throwing me a taunting glance. "Clara's chill, right? She won't mind."
Dominic's eyes slid to me, like he was waiting for a reaction. I kept my head down, acting like I didn't see or hear a thing.
Seconds ticked by, and his face darkened. The comments exploded in my vision.
[Clara, say something! If you tell him no, Dominic will shut this down. He always listens to you!]
[He's waiting for you to get jealous. How can you just sit there? You're pouring gas on the fire!]
I didn't budge.
Finally, Dominic let out a cold laugh and grabbed the chocolate stick. "Fine. Let's do it."
The room gasped as they started the ridiculous game. The chocolate stick shrank, their breaths mingling, closer and closer. Just as their lips nearly met, Aurora "accidentally" stumbled into his arms, planting a kiss on him.
The room erupted in shocked cries. I snapped my head up, meeting Dominic's stunned gaze. The red lipstick on his mouth was a knife to my chest. I gripped my skirt, knuckles white, forcing my face to stay calm.
Dominic froze for a split second before shoving Aurora away, quickly changing the subject. "Just an accident. Next round."
The group moved on, but I couldn't stay. I stood, legs shaky, and headed for the door. Dominic started to follow, but Aurora grabbed him.
"My bad," she said. "I'll go talk to Clara. I don't want you two fighting over me."
He hesitated, then nodded, letting her go after me.
Outside, Aurora cornered me at the stairwell, her tone venomous. "What, can't handle one little kiss? I thought you were tougher than that! But no matter how mad you get, Dominic doesn't care about you. You've been clinging to him for years, and he's sick of it. He can't even be bothered to fake it anymore. You're pathetic, still hanging on like this."
I yanked my arm free, my voice ice-cold. "My business with Dominic isn't your place to judge. Everything you're throwing at me? Right back at you. Have some self-respect and stop thinking you can claw your way to the top. Even if I break the bond with Dominic, he'd never look at you."
I turned to leave, but Aurora's face twisted with rage. In a flash, she shoved me down the stairs.
I tumbled from the third floor to the basement, crashing into a storage room. Bruises bloomed across my body, blood pooling beneath me. I choked out a desperate cry for help, but no one came.
Pain surged like a tidal wave, shredding my nerves. My voice weakened, my vision blurred. With my last ounce of strength, I dialed Dominic's number.
One call. Two. Three. All went unanswered, each one cut off.
As despair swallowed me, the comments flickered.
[Aurora lied to Dominic, saying Clara stormed off jealous. He's thrilled, thinking she cares, and has no idea she's hurt so bad. He's ignoring her calls to keep up his cool act. What now?]
What now? Either I bleed out here, or I survive and cut him out of my life for good.
That was my last thought before everything went black.
---
When I woke, it was the next afternoon. Someone was gripping my hand tightly. I opened my eyes to find Dominic, his eyes bloodshot. The moment our gazes met, he dropped my hand like it burned him, his face shifting back to that familiar, detached mask.
I knew he was playing his part again. I didn't call him out, just struggled to sit up and reach for water. My bag slipped off the table, spilling its contents across the floor.
I tried to get up to grab it, but Dominic beat me to it, picking up my makeup, keys, tissues. Then he grabbed a thick stack of papers, frowning as he flipped it open. The bold words "Bond-Breaking Agreement" stared back at him.
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