The panic hits so fast it’s dizzying.
“No,” I say too quickly. “No—please. Just stay here.”
If he checks—if he sees something off—if he notices anything changed—The world will cave in.
Noah’s brows knit in confusion but he nods slowly. “Okay. I’m not going anywhere.”
He presses a soft kiss to the back of my shoulder—gentle, reassuring, meant to soothe.
It doesn’t.
It feels like pressure against a bruise.
I close my eyes.
But all I see is the bathroom mirror.
The letters in my hand.
The old ink.
The new threat.
Kai’s words curling like smoke through my mind?—
You felt me.
You always fucking did.
Noah’s breathing evens out behind me, warmth settling over my spine like a blanket.
I lie awake in his arms, eyes open, staring into the dark.
Listening.
Waiting.
Breaking.
Because for the first time since the trial—I’m not scared of what Kai might do.
I’m scared of what I might do if he comes back.
Noah’s breathing evens out behind me—slow, steady, oblivious.
I lie stiff in his arms, staring at the ceiling, feeling the fear still coiled tight in my ribs.
But something else is stirring under it.
Something hotter.
Sharper.
Older.
Anger.
Not the frantic kind that flares and dies.
