The hybrid? Is he talking about Violet?
My blood turns to ice. What did I just hear? Why is Kain discussing my friend’s whereabouts like that?
The person on the other end of the line says something that makes Kain even more upset.
“Anne? She doesn’t matter to me. I already told you, she’s just useful for getting close to the hybrid!” he exclaims.
I stumble back a step, feeling like I’ve gotten cold water splashed in my face.
“Just useful.”
Blood rushes away from my head so fast, it makes me lightheaded. The parking lot spins, and I can’t breathe. Can’t think. I’m taking another step away when Kain’s voice reaches my ears one more time.
“Of course I have to spend time with her, but it’s all fake! The mission is what’s important, and I’m doing what I need to do to maintain my cover!”
That is the final blow. He may as well have stabbed me in the heart with a wolfsbane-laced, silver blade.
I step back into the building as quietly as possible, my legs moving on autopilot even though I feel like I could collapse at any moment.
“Just useful.”
The words echo in my skull, over and over, each repetition cutting deeper. I get in an elevator and smash all the buttons, not caring what floor, and rush toward a bathroom once the doors open.
There is no explanation for what I have just heard. Kain’s words were as plain as day, yet I struggle to make sense of them.
Bile rises in my throat, and I fall to my knees in a stall, vomiting my lunch in violent hacks that burn my chest.
When my stomach is empty, I gag over the toilet pitifully, but nothing more comes out of me. I flush and drag myself to the sinks so I can wash out my mouth and splash water on my face.
When I look up, my reflection in the mirror distorts. I think I’m in shock.
I need to get out of here. I can’t go back to my desk in this state. I can’t risk having others ask me what’s wrong…
Not wanting to run into Kain in an elevator, I head to the stairwell. I barely make it before my legs give out. I grip the railing, gasping for air that won’t come, my vision blurring at the edges.
This can’t be happening. My heart can’t be burned and broken again. Not again.
But it is happening. I heard him. I heard every word.
“The hybrid.”
He’s after Violet. And I’m useful. A means to an end. A tool to get close to his real target.
Everything—the flowers, the apologies, the way he looked at me and listed all the little things he’d noticed about me—all of it was a lie.
I stumble down the stairs, barely feeling my feet hit each step. I pray to the Goddess that Kain is not still down there, and she is merciful: the parking lot is empty when I arrive. I make it to my car, my hands shaking so badly that I drop my keys twice before managing to unlock the door.
I collapse behind the wheel and just sit there, staring at nothing, trying to process what I heard.
Kain is some kind of spy. He’s here for Violet. And he is using me to get to her.
I start hyperventilating, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The car feels too small, the air too thin. I grip the steering wheel as tightly as I can, trying to anchor myself to something, anything.
I was finally happy. I thought that I’d gotten him back, that we were building a relationship. But it was all deception. My hopes are dashed. Again.
My phone buzzes. A text from Kain.
I’m sorry we couldn’t get lunch together, babe. And I’m going to be busy after work. Can I text you tomorrow?
