Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
“Sophia, I know I’ve made mistakes, but I swear to you, everything I’ve said, everything I’ve felt—none of that was a lie. I didn’t expect this to happen between us. I didn’t expect to care about you like this.”
I want to believe him. God, do I want to believe him. But I can’t. The trust we were building, the connection I thought we had—it’s all crumbling, shattered by the truth of who he really is.
I shake my head, my throat tight, the anger giving way to something more painful. “You’ve been lying to me this whole time. You don’t get to say you care about me.”
He steps forward, his eyes pleading. “Sophia, please, don’t shut me out. I can explain everything. I can—”
“No.” My voice is firm, final. “You don’t get to explain anymore. I’m done listening to your lies.”
The hurt in his eyes is almost enough to make me falter, but I force myself to stay strong. I’ve let myself be vulnerable before, and I’ve always paid the price for it. I won’t let that happen again.
“I’m going to protect Zeus and the circus without you,” I say, my tone colder than I feel. “You can finish your investigation, but I want nothing to do with it. Or you.”
“Sophia—”
“Don’t.” I turn my back on him, walking away before the cracks in my armor start to show. I can feel his eyes on me, feel the weight of everything we’ve lost between us, but I can’t stop. If I stay, if I listen to him, I’ll start to question everything. And I can’t afford to question anything right now.
Not when the danger is closing in around us.
Not when I know the only person I can rely on is myself.
I storm back to Zeus’s enclosure, my safe haven, the only place that doesn’t feel like it’s closing in on me. The moment I reach the fence, I grab the bars, my knuckles white, my heart still hammering in my chest. The anger, the betrayal—it’s boiling under my skin, making me want to scream, cry, punch something, anything, just to release the tension clawing at my insides.
How could I have let this happen? How did I let Alex get so close?
Zeus pads over, his massive paws silent against the dirt as he watches me, his golden eyes calm, curious. I envy that calmness, the way he always seems unbothered by the chaos around him. I let out a breath, forcing myself to loosen my grip on the bars, but it does nothing to ease the storm inside me.
I pace in front of his cage, my mind racing, replaying everything that just happened with Alex. Every word, every look, every touch that felt so real. I feel foolish now, like a girl who let herself be swept up in a fantasy. I should have known better. I do know better.
But I let my guard down.
I let him in.
And now, I’m paying the price.
I stop pacing, pressing my forehead against the cool metal of the enclosure, trying to steady my breathing. The fire in my chest isn’t just from the anger. It’s from the pain, the sharp stab of realizing that I let someone close again, only to have them turn out to be exactly what I feared. A liar. A manipulator.
I should have seen it. I should have known. But Alex had a way of making me forget, of making me feel like I wasn’t alone, like maybe—just maybe—there was something good between us. Something real. And that’s what hurts the most. I was starting to believe it.
I was starting to believe him.
But no more. I can’t let myself be that vulnerable again. I won’t. I’ve survived too much to let someone like him tear me apart. I’ve built my life on protecting myself, on keeping everyone at arm’s length, and now, I know exactly why.
People lie. People leave. They always do.
I glance at Zeus, his gaze steady on mine, and I make a decision. I’ll protect him and the circus without Alex. I don’t need him. I don’t need anyone. This is my life, my responsibility, and I’ll handle it on my own. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again.
But even as I stand there, the weight of everything crashing down on me, there’s a voice in the back of my mind whispering that I’m in over my head. That the danger creeping closer isn’t something I can handle on my own.
I shake the thought away, turning to Zeus. I can’t let doubt cloud my judgment. I’ll take care of this. I have to.
Even if Alex is out of the picture, even if I’ve been burned before, I’ll protect Zeus and the circus. I’ll face whatever’s coming, whatever danger is lurking in the shadows.
But the doubt lingers, gnawing at the edges of my resolve.