But still, he acted as if he was my hero. "Leave. I want to be alone with Nadine," Raphael ordered, his voice low, almost dangerous.
His friends clicked their tongues in disappointment. "Tch, no fun," one muttered as they slinked away, leaving behind only the scent of expensive cologne and lingering malice.
Raphael turned to me, his gaze briefly softening as he took in the stain on my dress. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice quieter now.
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Feels like déjà vu, doesn’t it? Another ruined dress, another night where I’m the fool in this story. Just like the night of the accident a week ago. And the culprit….”
Before I could even finish, he cut me off. "Colette didn’t mean it. She was hurt too. Let’s not prolong this."
His words struck something deep inside me, something raw and fragile.
Oh. So that was how it was then. He had already made his choice, hadn’t he?
Colette’s warmth was enough to justify leaving me in the cold.
I swallowed down the lump rising in my throat and forced my expression into something unreadable. "Fine. Since I waited for you like promised, now I’m going home."