Chapter 291 : Run

*Shelby*

Sand crunched beneath my sandals, a vast contrast to the mixture of emotions swirling in my chest. Each step was an angry punctuation mark, a quick beat that mirrored the tempo of my racing heart.

I had marched away from Michael, away from his condescending words that slapped against me like the salty sea breeze—naive. The word clung to my skin, sticky and unwelcome. It wasn't just the term but the implication behind it, as if my years were a chasm too wide for wisdom to bridge.

I felt the sting of humiliation flush my cheeks. The sky was a mass of oranges and purples, but the beauty of the sunset did nothing to quell the storm within. How could he? After everything we'd been through, after every decision I'd weighed and measured with the precision of a seasoned strategist, he still saw me as a child. His doubt was a cold shadow over the warmth we shared, a sudden chill that made my arms wrap around my torso.