What Lies Beneath Us: A Forbidden Romance in a Divided World by S. L. Tempest

Author:S. L. Tempest [Tempest, S. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: FlamingoWings Publishing
Published: 2024-10-11T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Emotional Fallout

The moment Zara’s hand slipped from hers, it was like Seleste felt the world tilt. There had been no grand goodbye, no lingering kiss to seal the truth they’d just shared. Instead, the silence between them had stretched on, taut and thick, as they both turned away to resume their separate roles—spies once again, tangled in webs of deception.

Now, in the aftermath, Seleste couldn’t shake the weight pressing down on her chest. The transport vessel had long since landed, and Zara had disappeared into the labyrinth of diplomatic corridors. They hadn’t said much, both still reeling from the emotional deluge that had washed over them on the journey back from the Galactic Summit.

Seleste found herself standing alone in her quarters, staring at her reflection in the mirror, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions she couldn’t seem to unravel. The room around her felt hollow, the walls echoing with the unspoken questions that loomed between them. Can I trust her? Can she trust me? It seemed impossible to grasp the answers now, not with the fresh realization that they had been lying to each other from the start.

Her breath hitched as she recalled the touch of Zara’s hand, the raw emotion in her eyes. For a fleeting moment, they had been more than spies, more than pretenders. They had been real. Seleste felt a tightness in her chest, a mixture of longing and fear gnawing at her insides. Zara had made her feel something that had been buried for so long, something she wasn’t even sure she could handle. But the truth, the depth of that connection, was laced with an undeniable danger.

Their confessions had felt like a release, a truth laid bare between them. But now, with Zara gone and the cold reality of her mission settling in, Seleste couldn’t stop the flood of doubt. Could their connection survive in this world of half-truths and hidden agendas? Could they survive?

They hadn’t talked about what came next—how could they, with everything at stake? Zara’s presence lingered in the room like a shadow, and Seleste’s heart clenched as she replayed their last moments together. She hadn’t wanted to let go, hadn’t wanted the warmth of Zara’s hand to slip from hers. But it had. And now all that was left was the uncertainty, gnawing at her mind like a festering wound.

The weight of what they were—spies, pretenders—felt suffocating now, more than ever. Could she really trust Zara, after everything? Could Zara trust her? The lines between them were so blurred, so tangled, that Seleste couldn’t tell where her mission ended and her emotions began.

She closed her eyes, leaning back against the cold surface of the wall, her mind spinning. There was no room for weakness here. No room for doubt. But as she stood there, trying to steady her breathing, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had already lost herself in Zara—lost herself in the one person she wasn’t sure she could ever truly understand.

Seleste moved through the motions of her espionage duties like a ghost.

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