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Chapter 41: Drawn Lines

last update Last Updated: 2025-12-23 22:40:00

‎Nora's POV.

‎I stand in front of the mirror for the tenth time, tugging at the hem of my yellow knitted sweater like it’s going to magically fix everything wrong with me.

‎The sweater is soft, oversized, the color of sunlight on better days.

‎Jeans, boots, hair down in loose waves.

‎I look… normal.

‎Like a girl going to make up with her boyfriend after a stupid fight.

‎Not like a girl who slapped him, lied to him, and let another man put his hands on her three nights ago.

‎My stomach churns.

‎I grab my purse, keys, phone.

‎Lola is still passed out on my bed, one arm flung over her face, mouth open, snoring softly.

‎She drank half a bottle of tequila last night while crying about Aleksei.

‎I left her with water, Advil, and a note:

‎Call me when you wake up. Love you.

‎I lock the door behind me.

‎The drive to Caleb’s is twenty minutes.

‎It feels like twenty hours.

‎Every red light is a chance to turn around.

‎Every song on the radio is a reminder of him—of us.

‎I park in his driveway.

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