Chapter 8 Proof This Was Real

SORAYA

Warmth.

That was the first thing I felt—not the strange room I was in, not the light or the heaviness in my chest.

Just warmth.

Strong arms wrapped around me. It was steady, like it had been holding me for a while. I remembered falling asleep in his… office.

But right now, I wasn’t sure where I was. My face was pressed into fabric that smelled faintly of rain. It was him. I’d know his scent anywhere.

I frowned, my lashes fluttering open.

Everything came back slowly. My eyes hurt so bad, swollen and tight from crying. My head ached badly, and my throat was dry.

I tried to move.

“Hey.” His voice was low and so gentle, easy.

I froze in place.

I knew he was the one, but it still felt so strange.

I lifted my head just a little.

Evander’s grip on me didn’t loosen. He held me like he was afraid I would vanish if he let go, even for a second.

He leaned against the headboard, one arm around me, the other resting protectively at my back. His gaze was on me, sharp, focused, like he’d been there watching me sleep… he probably was.

“You’re awake,” he said softly. His voice was so soothing it made me feel some kind of way.

I swallowed. “I—”

My voice cracked. It felt so hard to speak, and he noticed immediately.

“Hey. Don’t force it. Just take your time, okay?”

I tried again. It was barely audible, and I wasn’t sure he would be able to hear me. “Where… where is she?”

His expression didn’t change, but his hold on me tightened slightly.

“You’re safe, Soraya. You are in my quarters,” he said calmly.

“That’s not what I asked,” I breathed, forcing the words out. “Sarah… where is she?”

He exhaled slowly, like he’d been bracing himself for that question.

“She’s gone,” he said gently. “Her burial is being planned. The entire school will be in attendance, but I don’t want you to think about that now.”

My chest felt so tight. I wanted to scream.

“I thought it wasn’t real,” I whispered. “I hoped and prayed to the Moon Goddess that it was just a bad dream.”

“I know,” he said softly. “But it’s real. And I know how shocked you were. It’s not easy witnessing something like that, and you never should have witnessed it.”

I looked down.

That was when I realized my arms were tightly curled around his shirt.

I loosened my grip immediately. “I’m… I didn’t mean to—”

He caught my waist.

“Hey,” he said, his voice firm. “Don’t apologize. Never apologize to me.”

I looked up at him, and that was when I noticed how strained he looked. He looked like he hadn’t rested at all—his eyes darker than usual, jaw tense.

“They… they think I did it.”

“Do you think I—”

“Shhh.” He placed a hand on my lips. “I know you could never do such a thing.”

Tears filled my eyes again.

“I… I didn’t do it,” I said when he pulled his hand away. “I swear to you, I didn’t do it.”

“I know,” he cut in immediately.

There wasn’t a single trace of hesitation or even doubt.

“Please, Soraya. Don’t explain yourself to me. I knew you weren’t responsible the moment I walked in. Your scent was that of fear, not violence.”

My lips parted.

No words came out, just a sob.

He pulled me closer without a word, my face tucked beneath his chin, his hand protective on me. I felt so small in his arms.

I never for once thought a day would come where someone would believe a single word that came from my mouth, but he did.

“It was so loud,” I whispered. “Everyone was looking at me, whispering. I couldn’t breathe. I thought they were going to tear me apart.”

“No one would touch you,” he said. “No one has the right to lay a finger on your hair. Not while I’m alive.”

I shuddered.

“I don’t understand why things like this keep happening to me. Every single time I think I can breathe again, it feels like the air gets snatched from my lungs. I think I’m cursed.”

He tilted my face up, forcing me to meet his eyes.

“Soraya,” he said softly, “listen to me.”

I nodded weakly.

“You are not cursed. You are not weak. And you are never alone.”

His forehead rested gently on mine, and my heart started racing fast.

Was I in a dream? Because I had to be. This couldn’t be real. My mind was playing tricks on me.

“Why are you being nice to me?” I asked before I could even process the question.

He stared at me with a look I’d yearned for from my parents and never got.

He looked at me like I was human, like I wasn’t just an object to be trampled upon.

Then he smiled.

“You are so beautiful, Soraya. I do not need a single reason to be nice to you, because you deserve all the niceness the world has to offer.”

I closed my eyes. “I know this isn’t real, and my mind is just making me think it is. I want to wake up.”

He cupped my face and made me stare into his eyes.

“This is real. I am real.”

I shook my head, still in disbelief.

“I’ll prove it to you.”

He leaned down without any warning and pressed his lips to mine. For a moment, my body froze, but when his lips moved against mine, my body betrayed me.

The kiss was passionate, and it felt so hard to pull away. His lips felt so soft, and my body craved and begged for more of him. It felt like we were one.

I wrapped my hands around his neck and propped myself on top of him, kissing him breathless.

But as quickly as I got on top of him, I pulled back and got off the bed, staring at him like I’d just seen a ghost.

“Soraya?” he stared at me, confused.

I’d crossed a line, and I knew there was no going back from here.