And I believe it.
Chapter 54: Wren
Atlas’s place is quietin a way that makes me feel louder.
I barely remember the car ride.Kael in the front seat, jaw clenching every time I breathed too unevenly.Finn beside me, holding my hand like letting go would make me disappear.Atlas driving like the world was something he had to outrun.
Now I’m inside Atlas’s apartment—warm, clean, spacious but not lived-in enough—and my brain keeps trying to restart, like an engine that won’t catch.
The door closes behind us.
Something inside me closes too.
Atlas turns every lock.
Kael checks every window.
Finn stays in front of me, eyes never leaving my face.
“Sit,” Kael says gently.
I do.
I sit on Atlas’s couch, my damp hair clinging to my shirt, my hands twisting in my lap.I feel small.Wrong.Like my skin is inside out.Like any second I’m going to shatter into too many pieces for anyone to pick up.
Atlas stands in front of me, breathing too fast.“Did he touch you?”
I shake my head.
Kael steps closer.“Did he threaten you?”
“He...”My voice cracks.I swallow.“Just talked.”
Finn curses under his breath.“Talking is enough.”
Atlas turns away, pacing once, twice, fingers dragging through his hair like he needs pain to concentrate.
