Page 118 of Icebound Hearts

“Well, too bad, because I do.” She crosses her arms, eyes flashing.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

I glance up, my throat tightening. “Nothing.”

She glares at me. “You’ve been a ghost for the past week. And Aiden?” Her voice softens. “Kat, he looks wrecked.”

Something inside me twists, sharp and painful. But I force myself to keep my expression blank. “That’s not my problem.” Alina makes a sound of frustration. “God, you’re impossible.” I don’t respond. Just focus on untying my skates with fingers that suddenly feel too stiff.

After a long silence, she exhales. “You don’t have to punish yourself, you know.” I flinch.

“I’m not—”

“Yes, you are.” She kneels beside me, her voice gentler now.

“You’re scared. And instead of facing it, you’re pushing away the one person who actually sees you.”

I clench my jaw, staring down at my hands. “I don’t know how to do this, Alina.”

She nudges me. “Then let him teach you.”

I shake my head, my throat burning. “I can’t.”

Alina sighs, her expression heavy with something I don’t want to name.

“You’re going to have to figure this out eventually, Kat. Before it’s too late, because others would kill to have someone love them, the way Aiden loves you.”

She leaves, and I sit there alone, the weight of her words pressing down on me. I know she is talking about herself.

That night, I make the mistake of checking my phone. There’s nothing from Aiden, of course, but there is a picture of Aiden at a party.

He is in the background, standing next to some girl I don’t recognize.

She’s close—too close. Leaning into him, smiling up at him

like she already knows she has his attention.

And Aiden? He is smiling at her. My heart rate picks up and something sharp lodges in my chest.

I turn my phone off and toss it onto my bed, but the image

sticks.

He’s moving on and maybe that’s what I wanted, but seeing hime smiling at other girls, I realise that, that’s not what i want. I don’t want him to move on.

I don’t sleep. Not really. I stare at the ceiling, replaying every moment with Aiden. The way he looked at me. The way he used to see me. Now he’s just gone. At some point, I do the only thing I can think of.

I call my mom, even though It’s eleven pm in Russia, she answers after two rings, her voice soft with concern.

“Katerina?”

I exhale shakily. “Hey, Mom.”

A pause. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” I press my palm against my forehead. Where do I even start?

“I—” My voice cracks. “I hurt someone. And I think I hurt him badly.”

My mother is quiet for a long moment. “Aiden?” Tears burn my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

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