“That is acceptable.”
“And if there are any further incidents, public or private, this decision will be revisited.”
“I understand.”
The woman closes her tablet.
“You’re confident,” she observes.
I meet her eyes.
“I’m capable.”
When I leave that building, the air feels different.
Not lighter.
Stronger.
They don’t get to decide my life without me.
Wilder doesn’t get to sacrifice himself without my consent.
Kamden doesn’t get to protect me from choices I’m willing to make.
I stop on the sidewalk, pulling out my phone.
My thumb hovers over Wilder’s name.
My heart still hurts.
But now?
I’m not broken.
I’m furious.
And determined.
If he walked away to save me, he’s about to find out I don’t need saving.
TWENTY-TWO
Wild
The knock on my door isn’t soft.
It’s deliberate.
I already know who it is.
I open it.
Kamden stands there, hands shoved in his hoodie pockets, jaw tight, but not angry this time. Just tired.
We stare at each other for a long second.
I step aside without saying a word.
