Chapter 76. Not Anymore

Ezra’s POV

I stepped back, breathless and unsteady, with a storm of emotions swirling in my mind, impossible to contain. Layla’s rejection echoed in my ears, but rather in the words themselves, deeper than she probably imagined.

This can never happen again.

I ground my jaw and forced myself to retreat completely, fists clenched, as I watched her, expression turned in a guarded way. But I wasn’t blind, I had felt her body betray the words she still clung to so desperately.

She wasn’t unaffected.

Yet still, she pushed me away.

The frustration inside me steamed hotter, I wasn’t a man who chased after what didn’t want to be caught. But Layla—she was different; she stood right in front of me, yet was untouchably out of reach.

I abruptly released a breath, my voice much harsher than what I wanted it to be. “Just tell me the truth, Layla.”

Layla tensed, her fingers tightening at her side. “What truth?”

I held her gaze locked up.