Page 120 of Possession

This place should feel like a fresh start.

Instead, it feels like a battleground.

A war between the person I used to be and the person I’m becoming.

“You once told me that I was the only friend you ever had,” Naomi says softly. “That we were like sisters.”

I close my eyes, pressing my fingertips against my temple. I did say that once.

And I meant it.

But that was before.

Before I realized Naomi’s loyalty was never mine to have.

Before I learned that friendship can be just as much of a lie as love.

Before she betrayed me.

“I have to go,” I say, my voice devoid of warmth.

“Megan, please?—”

“No.” I cut her off, exhaling sharply. “You want grace? Work for it. You want forgiveness? Earn it.”

A shaky breath leaves her.

I don’t wait for her to respond.

I hang up.

My hands tremble as I set my phone down on the table.

For a moment, I just stand there, the weight of the conversation pressing against my chest like a heavy stone.

Then, with slow precision, I grab a paintbrush, dip it into a deep, inky black, and drag the bristles across the blank canvas in one long, defiant stroke.

Because I am not the same girl Naomi left behind.

And I never will be again.

Chapter 40

Half Hunter, 100% Perfect

MEGAN

Istep into the penthouse as the silver elevator doors slide shut behind me, my thoughts a tangled mess, knotted and frayed from the conversation I just had. The weight of Naomi’s words presses against my skull like a headache I can’t shake.

Hunter glances up from the couch, his storm-gray eyes lifting, his mouth curving into a small smile as I drop my bags onto the floor with an unceremonious thud.

“Hey, how’d it go today?” he asks, his deep voice laced with curiosity.

“Fine.” The word comes out sharper than I intend as I kick off my shoes, the force of it echoing the frustration bubbling beneath my skin.

His brow quirks slightly. “Just ‘fine’?”

I don’t answer. I can’t. My mind is too tangled in Naomi’s voice, in the excuses, the apologies, the tangled web of guilt and regret that I don’t know how to untangle.

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