Semua Bab Broken by One, Desired by All : Bab 201 - Bab 210

Ash's Point Of View I didn't move. Even after they disappeared into the crowd… even after the sound of their footsteps faded into the Academy's hum… even after the laughter, the chatter, the life around me resumed as though nothing had just shattered, I stood there. Rooted. Watching the space where Zane had been, as if staring long enough, hard enough, could force him to materialize again. As if sheer will alone could rewind the last five minutes and undo what I'd just witnessed. My cheek still burned where his hand had struck me. The sting pulsed with every heartbeat, a sharp, humiliating reminder that the boy who once melted beneath my touch had just hit me without hesitation. Without remorse. The physical pain was nothing… I'd endured far worse in training, but the meaning behind it cut deeper than any blade. I let out a slow breath through my nose, my jaw tightening until my teeth ached. "Zane…" I muttered under my breath, the name scraping against my throat li

Ronan's Point Of ViewI didn't look back. I didn't need to. If I did, I knew exactly what I'd see… that bastard standing there, staring like the world had just been ripped out from under him, like he had any right to look at Zane that way after everything he'd done. My jaw tightened, teeth grinding together. My grip on Zane's hand didn't loosen. If anything, it firmed… subtle, deliberate, grounding. A silent promise that I wasn't letting go. He was still here. With me. That was all that mattered. That was the only thing I needed to hold onto right now. We moved through the courtyard, past clusters of students who threw us curious glances, their whispers brushing against my ears like static. Some pointed. Others leaned in close to their friends, mouths moving rapidly. I ignored all of it. My focus stayed where it belonged… on the person beside me, on making sure he knew he wasn't alone in this. Zane hadn't said a word since we left. Not a single one. But I could feel it… the weigh

Ronan's Point Of View "Because I was already planning different ways to get rid of him," I said calmly, my thumb brushing once more against his side. The words came out smooth. Too smooth. Like they belonged to someone who didn't hesitate, someone who'd made peace with darker impulses long ago. Like they didn't carry the weight of what I was actually confessing. But the moment they settled between us, hanging in the air like smoke... something shifted. Zane froze. His breath hitched, sharp and audible in the quiet room. His eyes widened as he stared up at me like I'd just said something insane, or perhaps like he'd finally glimpsed something in me he'd only suspected was there. "Ronan—" He cut himself off, shaking his head as if trying to clear it, then snapped, "Shut up." I didn't flinch. Didn't take it back. Didn't soften the truth with a laugh or claim I was joking. Instead, I tilted my head slightly, watching him, studying every flicker of emotion that cros

Zane's Point Of View"Do you like Miles?"For a second… No. For several seconds, my brain just… stopped. Like someone had reached in and unplugged every working thought I had, leaving nothing but static in its wake. "What?" I said. Brilliant response, Zane. Truly inspiring. Ronan didn't even flinch. He stood there with that infuriating composure, as if he'd just asked about the weather. "You heard me," he said, his tone maddeningly even. Oh, I heard him. I definitely heard him. The words had landed with perfect clarity. I just didn't understand why on earth he would ask that… not now, not after everything that had just happened between us. "Zane," he continued, his voice calmer than mine felt, steadier than the chaos currently spiraling inside my head. "I just want you to be honest with me." Honest. Right. That word alone made something in my chest tighten, a knot forming somewhere beneath my ribs. "Do you like him?" he asked again, as if repetition would somehow mak

Zane's Point Of View"So what?" I muttered, trying to push back even though my voice had lost its earlier bite. The words came out rougher than I intended, betraying the uncertainty I felt. "You just decided to… what? Compete? Wait your turn? See who I pick like this is some kind of game?" His expression darkened, a shadow crossing his features that made my stomach twist. "No." "Then what?" I pressed, needing him to explain, to make sense of this mess. "I chose you," he said simply, as if those three words explained everything. That statement hit me square in the chest, tightening something there. Not painfully this time, but enough to steal my breath for a moment. "I chose you knowing there were other people you could want," he continued, his gaze never wavering from mine. "Knowing I wasn't the only option. Knowing I might not even be your first choice." I stared at him, trying to process the weight of what he was saying, the vulnerability hidden beneath those ca