Chapter 48: Shadows of Consequence      

[BONUS Chapter! For the 200 PS, thank you all!]

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I stared out the window, my mind swirling in a haze, desperately trying to figure out how to get the money back in less than a month.

But no matter how hard I thought, there was no solution. Every plan crumbled before it even fully formed, leaving me empty and defeated.

My mind was a tangled mess, and my heart wasn't much better. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't breathe right.

The truth was, I wasn't even angry at Cole for not loving me back. I had accepted that long ago, even before I confessed my feelings.

I knew it from the start, when he told me flat-out that he'd never fall for me, no matter what I did. But still, I persisted. Foolishly, stubbornly, I held on, hoping that maybe, just maybe, something would change.

But it never did.