Aurora’s P.O.V

I wasn't able to sleep at all last night. It was like every time I closed my eyes, Ashton's words would haunt me, creeping into my thoughts with a suffocating grip.

"Abandon all hope, Aurora. It's your worst enemy here," he had told me. His voice echoed in my mind, relentless, pulling me deeper into a pit of uncertainty. But deep down, I knew that wasn't something I could do. I couldn't just give up. Not when Caleb and Caroline—hell, all the people who cared ...