Chapter 164 Comfort Mc


    TESSA


    I never thought I’d see her here.


    Her name rolled over the microphone, and for a moment, I wanted it to be a lie.


    My ssmates whispered at the sight of her. “She’s pretty,” I caught someone saying, the word sharp in <b>my </b>ears. Others from the South twisted in their seats, not to look at her, but


    at<ol><li>me.</li></ol>


    Because they knew, and their gazes proved they wanted me to know, too. That my sister was still far superior than I was.


    Suddenly, I can’t move.


    She stood there like the stage had been carved out for her all along. What was she doing here? My mind scrambled. Her internship… wasn’t it supposed tost longer? She was supposed to be gone. Far away. <b>Far </b>enough that I didn’t have to think about her voice or her face or the way she used to cut into me with words that left scars deeper than ws ever could.


    Arden’s eyes found mine, her lips parting and brows lifting ever so slightly. “Are you alright<i>?</i>” she muttered.


    I bit my lip. Beside me, Owen leaned in, his voice soft.


    “Tess? You good?”


    I wasn’t. Not at all.


    “I need a moment,” I forced out, each syble scraping my throat. I didn’t wait for a reply. I just got up and slipped down the aisle, eyes low, every step feeling like a sprint, though my feet barely obeyed me.


    The bathroom was mercifully empty. My palms mmed against the sink, and I twisted the faucet, cold water rushing like a lifeline. I sshed it over <i>my </i>face, again and again, but it didn’t wash her away. It didn’t wash away the memory.


    I clutched the porcin, head bent low, water dripping from my chin. My whole body was trembling. Why did she still have this much of an effect on me?


    I thought I was better. I thought I was stronger. Months had passed, and without her shadow looming over- me, I’d started to feel like myself again. I had friends–real ones. Arden, Owen, and even Cade in his asional support. For the first time in years, I wasn’t looking over my shoulder, bracing for her voice.


    But all it took was a single look at her standing there, confident, and everything cracked.


    Her words came back like knives, every syble still painful as the day she spat them.


    ‘Worthless.’


    ‘It’s your fault they’re dead.


    17: Tue, <b>19 </b><b>Aug </b>


    Chapter 164 Comfort Me


    ‘You should be the one to die..


    ‘You weren’t satisfied with killing our parents, you had to kill my best friend, too.


    Free Coins


    My parents. Ena. Her voice dug them all up from their graves andid them at my feet, and I couldn’t breathe past the guilt.


    My chest seized, my breath too short and fast. The walls of the bathroom seemed to fold in, closing around me. I gripped the sink so hard my knuckles whitened, but it wasn’t enough to anchor me<i>. </i>


    I was spiraling.


    My body shook violently, and bile climbed my throat. Tears blurred my vision, spilling before I could stop them. My lungs screamed for air, but no matter how hard I gasped, it wasn’t enough.


    ‘Get it together,’ I told myself. ‘Breathe, Tessa. Just breathe.’


    But I couldn’t.


    The panic swallowed me whole.


    I shoved away from the sink, my legs unsteady, carrying me out of the bathroom before I could even think about where I was going. I just needed to move.


    Just then, my shoulder collided with something solid, and I staggered back. My eyes darted upward, <i>hazy </i>through the tears, andnded on Rowan.


    This felt like just the first time we bumped into each other.


    His brow furrowed instantly, jaw clenching. “Seriously,” he muttered. Then, softer yet my name. “Tessa?”


    still


    urgent,


    he called


    I couldn’t hear him properly. His voice was drowned out <i>by </i>the rushing in my ears, the pounding in my head. My legs threatened to give out beneath me.


    “Fuck,” Rowan cursed under his breath. And before I could even flinch, his arms were around me.


    The warmth hit me first. He pulled me into his chest like I was something worth protecting. His scent wrapped around me, cutting through the sharp tang of panic.


    And still, I trembled.


    I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t speak.


    His hug felt so <i>good</i>. I leaned into him like I had always wanted to, like my body had been waiting for years just to feel safe again.


    The bond was still there. I could feel it rushing through my chest. No matter how many times I told myself I had to let go, no matter how many times I tried <i>to </i>convince myself I was strong enough without him, <b>I </b>still hadn’t epted his rejection.


    I kept clinging to this impossible, desperate hope that maybe he would look at me the way he once did with Ena. That maybe fate hadn’t been cruel after all.


    <b>2/3 </b>


    <b>17:11 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>19 </b><b>Aug </b>


    Chapter 164 Comfort Me


    The tears I had been choking back spilled freely, and I let myself cry into his chest, muffling <b>the </b><b>broken </b>sounds that escaped me. Rowan didn’t push me away. He just held me, one hand steady against <b>my </b>back. the other hovering like he didn’t know if he was allowed tofort me too much. His <b>warmth </b><b>seeped </b><b>inte </b>me, breaking down all the walls I had tried so hard to build.


    When he finally pulled back just a little, his eyes searched mine. My lips trembled as I tried to stop <b>crying</b>. but it was useless. I was falling apart in front of him, and the worst part was–I wanted him to see <b>me </b>like this. I wanted him to understand that no matter what had happened, no matter what he had said before<b>, </b><b>I </b>still wanted to lean on him.


    My voice cracked when I whispered, “Zaria… I didn’t want her to be here.”


    The truth slipped out before I could swallow it back. The fear, the memories, the way her presence shattered all the progress I thought I had made..


    I don’t know what he would have said next, because just then the fragile moment shattered.


    “Tessa.”


    I stiffened.


    I turned slightly, wiping at my eyes quickly, trying to gather myself before he saw. But when I looked up, Owen had already paused mid–step, his eyes going between me and Rowan.


    Rowan reacted first. He released me instantly, stepping back like my touch burned him. I snapped back to reality, my face flushing with guilt, shame, and confusion all at once. The warmth of his arms was gone, leaving me cold.


    Owen came closer, his eyes never leaving mine. He didn’t ask questions, but his hand came to rest gently


    shoulder.


    on my


    Rowan’s gaze lingered there just for a few seconds before he let out a deep breath. He clenched his jaw and looked away.


    Finally, his words cut through the silence, colder than ice.


    “Stop acting like the victim every time.”


    And just like that, the warmth I had felt only moments ago copsed.