"I think it changes everything." I stand, pushing back my chair. "We're done here, Chief. You know where to find me if you have any more questions. But I suspect you won't."
I walk to the door. My hand is on the handle when his voice stops me.
"He was my son."
I turn. For the first time, I see something human in Varro's expression. Something broken.
"Whatever he was, whatever he did—he was my son. And someone killed him."
"Yes," I say softly. "Someone did. And maybe, if you'd gotten him help instead of covering for him, he'd still be alive."
I walk out before he can respond.
Levi is waiting in the hallway, just like he promised.
The moment I step through the door, his eyes find mine. I see the question in his expression—the fear, the hope, the desperate need to know if I'm okay.
I walk into his arms.
"It's done," I whisper into his chest. "I did it."
"I know." His arms tighten around me. "I heard."
I pull back. "What?"
"Zenon has a contact in the department. Got us access to the feed from the observation room." A hint of a smile tugs at his lips. "You were incredible."
"I was terrified."
"You didn't show it. Not for a second." He cups my face, his eyes shining with something that looks almost like awe. "You stood up to the Chief of Police and made him back down. Do you have any idea how remarkable that is?"
"I had good motivation." I cover his hands with mine. "I was fighting for us. For our future. That made it easier."
"Still." He leans down, pressing his forehead to mine. "I'm so fucking proud of you."
The words settle into me, warm and bright. Proud. He's proud of me. Not for being pretty or obedient or small—for being strong. For fighting back. For refusing to be a victim anymore.
"Take me home," I say.
"Home?"
"The clubhouse. Our room." I smile, the first real smile I've felt in days. "Home."
He kisses me—soft and sweet and full of promise. Then he takes my hand and leads me out of the station, past the officers who stare and whisper, past the desk sergeant who watches with wide eyes, out into the sunlight of a new day.
I don't know if Varro will honor his word. Don't know if this is truly the end of the war or just a temporary ceasefire. But right now, in this moment, I feel something I haven't felt in years.
Victory.
I faced the dragon, and I won.
That night, I dream of something other than Cain for the first time.
I dream of a classroom. Sunlight streaming through windows. Children's voices raised in laughter.
I dream of Levi, waiting for me at the end of a long day.
I dream of a future I once thought impossible.
