Chapter 40: The Threat
"But..." Sara said, her voice a low, chilling whisper as she crouched in front of me, her dark eyes locking onto mine, unblinking, "*you*... will lose Aeri forever... don’t you love her?"
My heartbeat flatlined, a cold jolt slamming through me, my eyes widening as the words sank in like a knife. The room spun for a split second, the air sucked out, my breath catching hard in my throat. Shock washed over my face—raw, unguarded—my mind racing wild.
If I let her secret out, I’m fucked... but how the hell does she know? I hadn’t told a single soul about Aeri, not one damn person in this world. Had she figured it out on her own, pieced it together like some twisted detective? Or—shit—had Aeri said something? My chest tightened, panic clawing up my spine as I raised my eyes slow, hesitant, to meet hers.
She was grinning now—wide, evil, her lips curling up like a predator who’d just cornered its prey. "Pfft*... I knew it," she said, her voice sharp, triumphant, before she burst into a loud, cackling laugh. "Bwahahahah... so easy to read you are!" She jabbed a finger at me, her nail glinting in the dim light, her whole body shaking as she straightened up, towering over me in the chair.
Her stockings stretched tight over her thighs, her skirt rustling as she shifted, her boobs bouncing faintly under her bralet with every laugh.
"How?" I asked, gulping hard again, my throat dry as hell, my voice barely steady. "How did you come to know?" I leaned forward a fraction, my hands gripping my knees, my eyes narrowing.
"Ehe, it’s so easy to realize," she said, smirking wider, her tone dripping with mockery as she tossed her hair back with a flick of her hand.
"You act all cold and straight with the world—Mr. Tough Guy, right? But when she speaks, your words soften up like some chicken chirping—*lol*." She laughed again, sharp and biting, her finger still pointing at me like I was the punchline. "It’s pathetic, Ezra—written all over you."
I stared at her, my jaw clenching, my breath shallow as she kept going, her words slicing deeper.