~HAZEL~

I place a hand over my chest, feeling it pound and squeeze painfully as Ashton's words to Ariel echo in my mind. He was reassuring her that there was nothing between us—his tone gentle yet firm—echoing the words I've known all along, yet this time, hearing them aloud made my stomach twist with a strange, sharp ache.

Why did it bother me this much? I had known all along that his heart belonged fully to Ariel, the woman he considered his true mate. So then, why were his words ...