Caroline's Point of View
Knoxx holds my arm tight—steady, unmoving—but not rough. I feel no pain or force yet his grip weighs on me like a heavy blanket. I want to pull away, to put some distance between us, but my throbbing ankle reminds me how weak I am right now. The last thing I need is to create a fuss during check-in with him around.
His mere presence feels like it's crushing me pushing me to react. But I refuse to give him that satisfaction.
"Why are you running away after seeing me?" His voice stays quiet but cuts like a knife. Something in it I can't figure out makes my heart skip even though I try to ignore him.
I tense up looking ahead. "I wasn't running."
His hand doesn't squeeze tighter, but his fingers move a bit, like he's testing how true my words are. His eyes scan me sizing me up.
"Really?" He sounds doubtful almost like he finds
