Amara looked like the ground had just dropped beneath her.
I said nothing. Sebastian was being cruel, but I understood why. It was his way of burning the bridge she refused to stop crossing.
After a long pause, Amara's voice cracked. "Forget it. I'm not sitting through some cringey third-wheel dinner. Watching you two play house in front of me? Consider it canceled."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Fair enough. Canceled."
And then she broke.
She lunged forward, throwing her arms around him in a desperate hug.
Sebastian immediately tried to push her off, his expression unreadable.
"Just ten minutes," she whispered. "Let me hold you for ten minutes. After that, I swear I'll disappear."
Sebastian didn't flinch. He pried her arms away and stepped back.
"Goodbye," he said, and walked pas
