Chapter Sixty one

I observed him pacing back and forth in front of the building, and for a brief moment, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. I shook off the feeling, but it left me with an eerie sense of foreboding.

His head snapped up when the sound of my approaching footsteps reached him. He hurried toward me and grasped my arms.

"I've been waiting for you, Ariana," he said.

I pushed him away, my voice laced with a mix of frustration and curiosity, "What are you doing here?"

He replied with urgency, "I need to talk to you." Despite my resistance, he pulled me back.

"I don't wish to speak with you," I declared, trying to break free from his grasp.

"I won't give up on you, Ariana," he pleaded, his words carrying a tone of hope. I couldn't help but wonder why he continued to act as if there was something between us when I felt no love for him.

"I'm telling you to stop referring to us as if we ever had a relationship; it's futile. I want you to know right now that I don't love you," I asserted. His