Brandon's POV
Ashley's words landed with the force of a final verdict.
There had been no shouting.
No insults.
No cruelty.
Just the kind of truth that cut deeper because it was impossible to argue with.
Every sentence she spoke stripped away another layer of Chloe's certainty until there was nothing left for her to stand on.
I watched the realization unfold across Chloe's face.
It was slow.
Painfully slow.
Her eyes lost their focus.
The confidence she'd walked in with dissolved into disbelief.
Then came the guilt.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
Her lips parted as though she wanted to defend herself, to explain that she'd never meant for any of this to happen.
But no words came.
Her mouth opened.
Closed again.
Opened once more.
Nothing.
Only tears.
One escaped first.
Then another.
She blinked rapidly, trying to hold them back, but they kept falling anyway.
All she could do was nod.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
