The door slammed behind me as I left Sebastian's house, the sound reverberating through my chest like a drumbeat. I stood still for a moment outside the building, breathing in the crisp evening air, trying to collect my thoughts. Everything inside felt like a tangled mess, an emotional whirlwind that I couldn't quite sort through. Zoe's words were still ringing in my ears, her accusations and the way she'd looked at me like I was some homewrecker. Even though I hadn't done anything — not yet anyway — guilt settled over me like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
I had to get out of there. I couldn't stay, not after everything that had happened. Not with the way Sebastian had looked at me before I left, like he was drowning in regret, and maybe something else — something deeper.
