Chapter 34
Elena's POV
I froze on the sidewalk, watching Damon slam the trunk shut with a dull thud.
He turned to me. "Let's go. It's cold out here."
I forced my legs to move.
Damon pulled open the rear door. The gesture should have seemed polite, but it felt more like he was ushering me into a cage.
Scarlett had already settled back into the passenger seat, adjusting the rearview mirror, checking her lipstick. She looked completely at home.
I climbed into the back.
The door clicked shut softly behind me.
I reached for the seatbelt, fingers gripping the buckle so tight my knuckles went white.
Just get through this. Just get home.
The engine rumbled to life. Damon pulled onto the main road.
"Oh," Scarlett said brightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Damon, remember what we talked about under the aurora?"
Damon glanced at her, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Which part?"
"About the ice sculptures. You said you wanted to take me to the Winter Starlight Festival next year."
"Did I say that?"
"You did." She laughed, easy and teasing. "You said the ice sculptures up north are way better than the ones here."
"They are."
I stared out the window, watching the snow-covered campus blur past.
They went to see the aurora together.
Of course they did.
Through the rearview mirror, I watched Scarlett's hand move. Her fingertips traced slowly, deliberately, along Damon's forearm.
She wasn't just touching him.
She was claiming ownership.
Right in front of me.
Damon didn't pull away. He shifted gears smoothly, expression relaxed.
I looked down at my own hands, still gripping the seatbelt buckle.
"Hey," Damon said suddenly, his voice cutting through the music, "let's grab dinner. Celebrate the end of finals."
Scarlett perked up immediately. "Oh! Let's go to Moonrise Steakhouse. Their blood-rare ribeye is amazing."
"Perfect. Elena, you haven't been there, have you?"
I opened my mouth.
But Scarlett had already turned around, flashing me a brilliant smile. "You're going to love it. They have this balsamic reduction—"
"I want to go straight home," I said quietly.
The words came out smaller than I'd intended.
Damon's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. "It's dinner time anyway. We'll eat first."
"I have things to deal with at home."
"What things?"
I didn't answer.
He sighed. "Elena, are you still upset? Because I couldn't be there for your birthday."
"No," I denied.
"Then you're not wearing the necklace I gave you."
My stomach dropped.
I had received Damon's gift after celebrating my birthday with Caleb. An elegant black box, delivered by courier. Inside: a delicate amethyst pendant on a silver chain.
I'd barely looked at it.
"I..." I hesitated. "I didn't know I was supposed to wear it."
"But it's a gift," Scarlett said, tilting her head. "And I picked it out so carefully."
The world stopped.
"You... what?"
"I helped him choose it." She turned back to face forward, tone casual. "He wasn't sure what you'd like, so I suggested the amethyst. Purple suits you."
My chest tightened. He hadn't even chosen it himself.
I thought of all the gifts I'd chosen for him over the years, each one I'd cherished. Now I even doubted whether he'd just sent them as tasks to complete.
"Elena?"
Scarlett was watching me in the side mirror, face full of fake concern. "Are you okay? You look very pale."
"Stop. The car."
"Elena—"
"I need to get out."
He sighed, voice irritated. "What is it now?"
"I'm not..." I pressed my throat, trying to steady myself. "I'm not comfortable being this close to people I don't know well."
Scarlett whipped around, eyes wide. "Wait, are you talking about me?"
I didn't answer.
Damon slammed on the brakes.
The car screamed to a halt in the middle of the road.
Behind us, tires shrieked. Horns blared. I twisted around to see a sedan skid to a stop, its front bumper less than two feet from Damon's rear end.
The driver leaned out his window, red-faced and furious. "Are you fucking insane?!"
More horns. Shouting.
Damon turned in his seat, eyes locked on mine.
"You have two choices," he said calmly. "Apologize to Scarlett for being rude. Or get out of my car right now."
I stared at him.
Scarlett's hand landed on his arm, voice soft. "Damon, it's fine. She didn't mean to—"
"No." His gaze didn't leave me. "She needs to make a choice."
The horn behind us blared again.
I reached down.
Unclipped the seatbelt.
"I choose to get out."
---
I shoved open the door and stepped into the cold. Wind immediately bit at my face, cutting through my jacket.
I walked toward the trunk. My suitcase. I needed my suitcase.
But before I could reach it, the engine roared.
The car lurched forward.
I stumbled back as snow and slush sprayed from the tires onto my coat.
The sedan that had nearly hit us swerved around me, the driver leaning out to scream. "Are you out of your mind? You almost got us killed!"
I stood there, frozen.
Around me, people stopped. Stared.
Whispers rippled through the crowd on the sidewalk.
"Did you see that?"
"Who just leaves someone in the middle of the road like that?"
"She must have done something really bad."
I put my head down. Pushed through the wind. Nothing but this thin jacket and the clothes on my back.
---
I found a bus shelter half a block away.
The bench inside was metal, cold even through my jeans. But at least it blocked the wind.
I sank down slowly, pulling my knees to my chest.
My hands were shaking.
I pulled a tissue from my bag, pressed it to my eyes.
Don't cry. Don't cry. Not here.
But the tears came anyway. A bitter laugh escaped my throat.
"I'm such a fool."