Kairo goes still.
I brush a strand of hair off her cheek. “I feel it. In my bones. He’s got your stubbornness and my dice hand. It’s not hard to do the math.”
Her lips part, but no sound comes out.
I search her expression, hoping—just hoping—for confirmation.
She looks away.
And then her eyes close.
No yes.
No denial.
Just silence.
A thousand things crack inside me at once, but I don’t let her see them fall. I just breathe. I press a kiss to her temple and hold her tighter.
“I’m not leaving,” I say. “Not again.”
She doesn’t answer.
But she doesn't pull away either.
So I stay.
CHAPTER 21
KAIRO
The light outside is too pale, too quiet.
I slip out of bed like I’m sneaking away from a dream I never meant to fall into. My bare feet press against the cold floor, and I wince a little—not from the chill, but from the ache that coils up my spine. It’s not the kind that comes from a bad mattress or restless sleep. It’s the kind that comes fromtoo much. Too much closeness. Too much memory. Too much truth, knocking at the back of my ribs like it wants out.
The sheets are still warm behind me, tangled, the faintest scent of spice and static lingering on the pillow—hisscent.
I don’t look back.
The hallway feels unfamiliar this morning, like I’m trespassing in a place that used to be mine. My fingers trail the wall, and every picture frame feels like a question I can’t answer.
There’s one of Ben and me at the Haven-7 Festival, him mid-laugh, blue ice cream staining the corners of his mouth. Another from his third birthday, where Maliek’s just out of frame but his gift—a little plush grolgath dragon—is sitting center stage, oblivious to how prophetic it is. I stop in front of that one, stare at it too long. The dragon’s eyes are gold. Just like Jav’s ceremonial crest. Ben chose it.
I keep walking.
In the kitchen, the synth-coffee machine is blinking like it’s judging me. My compad buzzes with the persistence of someone who doesn’t understand boundaries. Or doesn’t care.
First message: Maliek.
“We need to talk. I saw the newsfeeds. You said he was gone.”
Delete.
Second: Roan.
“Hey, the publishers are pushing for a statement. They want to know if you’ll go public—talk about the ‘reunion’ vibe. We could spin it as full-circle romance—might help book four…”
Delete.
