Chapter 176 Hundred And Seventy Six

• Belle's POV
• I couldn’t believe I was here, sitting across from Zane in a dimly lit café that I’d never seen before, let alone stepped foot in. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure he could hear it, but it wasn’t from fear. It was something else entirely—something that twisted my insides and made it hard to breathe.
• Zane sat across from me, his eyes filled with a mixture of worry and something deeper, something that made my resolve waver for just a moment. His expression was so genuine, so raw, that it tugged at the edges of my defenses. But I knew I couldn’t let my guard down. I couldn’t afford to.