章 574: I’M SCARED

ARIANNE POV

My hands shook as I grabbed my clothes from the rack on the wardrobe and began to shove them inside the trunk. Moisture gathered in my eyes as I filled my trunk up, mostly with tunics and leggings. I would have no use for any formal wear where I was going.

This was my decision. I made this choice. And while I might have put on a brave front for everyone else, now that I was alone, the weight of it was suffocating. The silence of the room seemed louder than my own heartbeat. The heavy thud of each garment falling into the trunk echoed through the emptiness, mirroring the hollow ache building in my chest.

When I was done, I snapped the trunk shut. I was about to lock it when I heard the door open. I didn't need to look up to know it was my friends. The soft shuffle of their boots, the hesitant breaths—everything about their presence told me they were here to try and stop me, or at least make me reconsider.