Chapter 51: Chapter 49

A moment of silence passed between them before Ariel's voice broke through. "Pick me," she said, her tone barely above a whisper. "I'll treat you better. So pick me," she repeated, louder this time, her gaze locking onto Persephone's with quiet determination.

It took Persephone a moment to register what Ariel meant, and when she did, her response came swiftly. "No, Ariel," she said firmly, her voice steady. "What we had is already over."

The words felt harsher than she intended, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now—not after everything that had happened earlier.

She saw the flicker of hurt on Ariel's face, and for a brief second, guilt tugged at her. But she didn't move to comfort her. Instead, she stood her ground. Moments later, Ariel's expression shifted, her eyes narrowing as anger replaced the vulnerability.

"It's funny," Ariel said, her voice bitter, "how after we ended things, you've already found yourself another toy."