The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168

And he knew it.

That was the worst part.

We reached Leo’s cell without a single word exchanged. Coban shoved the door open and Cara was already standing, arms crossed, gruring under her

breath until she spotted us.

She softened instantly.

She hugged Leo quickly, squeezing him like she needed reassurance too, then turned toward me, brows knitting together the second she really looked at my

face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked immediately.

Too perceptive. Always.

I shook my head too fast. “Oh, nothing.”

The words came out wrong. Too high. Too forced.

Coban didn’t look at me.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bella,” he said quietly, already motioning to Cara with his head. “Let’s go.”

Guards were shouting now, voices echoing down the block. “Lights out! Back to your cells!”

I didn’t answer.

I just stepped inside.

Leo waited until Coban and Cara disappeared down the corridor before closing the door. The clang of metal sounded final. Sealing.

I stood there for half a second, staring at the wall, chest tight.

Leo tilted his head, studying me. “You look… sad.”

That was it.

The last thread finally fucking snapped.

I dropped the box at my feet, turned, and ran for the bathroom.

The door barely closed before I locked it and slid down against it, my body folding in on itself as the sob tore out of me. Loud. Ugly. The kind of cry you can’t hold back even if you want to.

My shoulders shook violently. My chest burned. My throat hurt.

cried for everything I hadn’t said.

For everything he hadn’t answered.

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Chapter 168

For how stupid I felt for even hoping.

Leo knocked almost immediately.

“Margot?” His voice was muffled through the door, worried. “Hey, hey, what happened? Was he being an ass? Did he hurt you?”

I couldn’t answer.

The sobs just kept coming.

“Margot, come on,” he tried again, gentler now. “It’s gonna be okay, yeah? At least you get a break from him tonight…”

That only made it worse.

Because I didn’t want a break.

I wanted answers.

I wanted reassurance.

I wanted something solid to hold onto instead of this awful, floating feeling like I’d just stepped off a cliff.

I pushed myself up on shaking legs, wiped my face with my sleeve, and unlocked the door.

Leo froze when he saw me.

My face was red and blotchy. Eyes swollen. Tears streaking down my cheeks like I’d lost something precious.

Before he could say another word, the anger burst out of me.

“Do you plan on ditching Cara after the project?” I snapped, pointing at him.

Leo blinked. “Eh, uh, w–what?”

“You can’t do that to her!” I rushed on, words tumbling out faster than I could stop them. “She likes you, Leo. She really likes you, and you know it. There has to be a plan for after here – I won’t let you break her heart!”

He held his hands up quickly. “Whoa, okay, hey, Margot, calm down! I haven’t done anything wrong here.”

The truth of that hit me like a slap.

I covered my face with my hands and crumpled, the anger collapsing into grief all over again.

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed. “I’m sorry, this… this isn’t even about you.”

Leo didn’t hesitate.

“Come here,” he muttered, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a firm, grounding hug.

I cried into his chest like a child, fists clutching at his shirt:

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Chapter 168

“It’s alright,” he murmured, rocking me gently. “He can be a dick sometimes. Did he actually say he was gonna ditch you?”

I shook my head violently. “No! That’s the problem he said nothing. I asked him, Leo. I put myself out there and he just… shut down and said nothing.”

Leo sighed. “Yeah… he’s not good at this stuff. Thinking on the spot. Feelings.”

“That’s not good enough!” I cried, pulling back to look at him. “He kisses me like that, like it means something to him, and then acts like there’s nothing beyond these walls. How can he do that knowing he plans to leave me behind?”

Leo was quiet for a moment, his jaw tightening.

“Coban doesn’t plan like normal people,” he said carefully. “His whole life’s been about survival. Control. Escape. Anything that feels like it might tie him down scares the shit out of him.”

“That doesn’t make it fair,” I whispered.

“No,” he agreed softly. “It doesn’t.”

I sank down onto the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around myself.

“What if he really is just using me?” I asked, the thought twisting my stomach. “What if I’m just… convenient?”

Leo shook his head immediately. “Nah. That man does not look at you like you’re simply convenient.”

“Then why won’t he say anything?”

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