I hadn’t taken twenty steps when the door closed behind me.

“Ev! Wait!”

Julian’s voice cut through the night — sharp, entitled, furious. I kept walking. I didn’t slow. I didn’t turn.

He caught up within seconds, his hand closing around my arm, his grip hard enough to bruise.

“What the hell was that?” he hissed, his breath hot against my face. “You embarrassed me in front of my parents. After everything I’ve done for you?”

I pulled free, my silence a wall between ...