Audrey's POV
Adel's words echoed in my head like thunder. My back was pressed so hard against the wall I could feel the tiles biting into my skin.She was still shouting — something about Jeremy, about how I had "ruined" her life — but I wasn't listening anymore. My pulse was pounding too loud for her voice to matter.
Then, instinct kicked in.
While she raged, I slipped my hand into my clutch, fingers brushing against the cold metal cylinder I'd started carrying since that night I left Andoria. My father's voice echoed faintly in my mind — "Always protect yourself, Audrey. Never freeze."
I looked her dead in the eye. "You're right about one thing, Adel," I said, breathless but steady. "I'm not the same Audrey you once bullied."
Before she could react, I raised my hand — pfft!The pepper spray hit her square in the face.
She screamed, clutching her eyes, stumbling backward. The two men flinched, one reaching for me, but I sprayed again — a wide, fiery mist that sent them cursing and shielding their faces.
Adrenaline surged through me. I ran.
Heels clicking against the marble, heart pounding, breath burning. I shoved through the washroom door, through the corridor, out into the night air — until I collided hard into someone's chest.
Strong hands caught me before I could fall.
"Audrey?"
That voice — deep, rough, too familiar.
I looked up, and there he was. Simon.
He looked at me, startled, his brows furrowing as his gaze fell on my shaking hands, the pepper spray still clutched between my fingers."What happened? You're trembling—who hurt you?" he asked, his tone sharp, protective.
I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. "Adel… she—she's here. She followed me—there were men—"
Simon's jaw tightened instantly. He scanned the hallway, his eyes darkening with something between rage and worry. Then his hand found mine, warm and steady.
"Come with me," he said firmly. "You're safe now."
But safe was the last thing I felt — not with Jeremy's ex-fiancée attacking me in public, not with Simon's eyes holding something I wasn't ready to face again.
Still, as he guided me toward the car, shielding me from curious eyes, I felt my walls begin to crack — just a little.
Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe the relief. Or maybe, after everything, I just needed someone to finally catch me.