37

I don’t realize I’m shaking until Reid gently rubs his thumb over my knuckles. The anger, the fire—I felt invincible a second ago, but now? Now, my hands feel ice cold.

“You okay?” Reid asks, voice low.

I nod. Then I lie. “Yeah.”

But when he tugs me closer, when I feel the warmth of him against me, something cracks deep inside my chest.

It’s not just the name-calling. It’s not just being labeled t