"..."
Zoe Rhodes's eyes were wide, her fair skin flushed with a rosy hue. Even her cautious breaths felt scorching hot.
She felt like she should say something.
But her lips felt sealed, refusing to open.
'It's like a New Year's fireworks show is going off in my head,' she thought. CRACKLE, POP, BOOM—the explosions continuously bombarded her fragile nerves. Each brilliant, climactic burst shattered whatever semblance of logic she managed to piece together.
Amid the chaos in her mind, she heard Zane Hawthorne ask, "Do you understand what I'm saying now?"
"...What?" Zoe Rhodes's expression was blank.
She didn't understand why she felt like she'd just been shelled by artillery, while Zane Hawthorne seemed completely unaffected, even able to chat with her so calmly.
'What was he blabbering on about? I didn't hear a single word!'
Zane Hawthorne's chest heaved once. Fortunately for her, he had always been very patient with Zoe Rhodes.
