Chapter 65

• Zara’s POV
• The slap had come so fast I didn’t even see it coming. One second, Kai’s voice was rising, spitting accusations I couldn’t make sense of, and the next—my cheek stung like fire, the metallic taste of shock already pooling on my tongue.
• I froze, my chest heaving, my eyes wide as whispers rippled around us like wildfire. The corridor was never forgiving, every secret turned into gossip before the sound even faded. And now, I was the latest scandal.