Arielle’s POV
I sat behind the rocks, pressing my palms against my eyes until I saw little sparks. I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t want to give Cassian the satisfaction of knowing how much he got to me, but my chest felt heavy. Everything in me was torn between anger and humiliation.
Just minutes ago, I had been smiling—really smiling—for the first time in a long while. Splashing water back at Justin, laughing like I didn’t have a single worry in the world… I forgot about Cassian. I forgot about the confusion, the longing, the pain. For that short moment, I was just a girl having fun. Then he showed up. He ruined everything.
I wiped my eyes again and forced myself to stand, brushing the sand off my skin. At least an hour had passed since I’d stormed off. Maybe by now my mom and Soraya ha
