CASSANDRA’S POV:
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The sun barely pierces through the dense canopy as we push forward beyond the magical forest. The air feels heavier here, every step I take feels less like a choice and more like a forced march into the unknown.
Cyprus walks beside me, his movements fluid, almost too at ease. Unlike him, I feel uncomfortable in his presence, as if each passing minute chains me more tightly to him.
I glance at him from the corner of my eye. He’s always watching me, his gaze lingering just long enough to remind me that he knows. That he senses my every hesitation, my every unspoken thought. I’ve given him too much time, hoping he’d see reason, that he’d let me go. But I know now—he never will.
A weight settles in my chest. I need to leave. I need to escape before it’s too late.
Bu
