“Make me smile even when I feel like it's an impossible task.”
He smiled slightly. “Guess it’s a bad habit.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s a good one.”
Their eyes met, not with fire or urgency, but with quiet understanding. She stepped a little closer, drawn by the calm he carried so easily. Her hand brushed his chest, fingers lingering on the fabric of his shirt as if grounding herself.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For not being afraid of me.”
Corey’s gaze softened. “You don’t scare me Davina, I’m too stubborn for that.”
He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing her cheek. “You should get some rest,” he murmured.
“I should,” she agreed, though she didn’t move.
His hand stayed there a moment longer, warm against her skin.
When he finally stepped back, she found herself missing the weight of his touch.
“I’ll be down the hall if you need anything,” he said.
“I know,” she whispered.
He hesitated in the doorway. “And Davina?”
She looked up.
“You’re safe here,” he said simply, then turned and left.
For a long time, she just stood there, the echo of his words settling into her bones.
When she finally moved, she crossed the room, entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. The sound of running water filled the space. Steam began to rise, curling around her like smoke.
She stepped under the water and closed her eyes. The heat soaked into her skin, washing away the dirt, the fear and the faint trace of death that had clung to her memories.
When she finished, she found a folded set of soft clothes waiting on the bed it was Lucy’s doing, of course. A small kindness that made her smile. She slipped them on, feeling lighter than she had in a long time.
When she walked back toward the main room, she found Lucy already waiting there, cross-legged on the couch, two cups of tea steaming on the table in front of her.
“Took you long enough,” Lucy said with a grin. “I was starting to think you fell down the drain.”
Davina smiled softly, settling beside her. “I just… needed a moment.”
“Good,” Lucy said, handing her a cup. “Because now we’ve got a lot to talk about.”
Davina nodded, taking the tea with both hands. The warmth seeped into her fingers, her chest, her heart.
For the first time, she felt safe enough to start remembering who she really was.
Davina stared into her cup, watching the ripples dance across the surface before speaking. “It’s strange,” she said slowly, “to be somewhere that doesn’t hurt.”
Lucy glanced at her, offering a small smile. “You’ll get used to it. Eventually.”
Davina nodded, though her eyes were distant. “I keep remembering things in flashes. Not just the big moments, the small ones too. The smell of the Dark King’s halls, the secret whispers that invaded the halls at night.” She shivered lightly, then took another sip. “There was a guard who used to check on me. I think… he pitied me. Or maybe he was just curious. But I remember his face. He was one of the king’s loyalists. He visits me every now and then, keeping tabs on me. He always pretends not to know who I am.” she forced a small, nervous laugh, “I suppose that’s why I can’t just vanish from the company. It’s where he checks first.”
Lucy raised a brow. “So, what you’re saying is, you have to go back to work to keep your cover?”
Davina nodded quickly. “Exactly. As long as I keep acting like the old version of me... Well, not theoldversion, just the lastversion, the one before I remembered all the other versions of me, then he won’t suspect anything.” Lucy blinked, a small grin creeping up her face. “That was… impressively confusing.” Davina laughed properly this time, the sound light and genuine. “You know what I mean.”
