I’m not Julius.
A faint sound came from down the hall. It was barely there, but it was enough. My attention sharpened instantly, locking onto her before she fully stepped into view.
Kitty… my little black cat.
She stepped slowly at first as if she’d been waiting just out of sight, listening for the exact moment I walked in.
When her gaze found mine, I glanced at her bags, then back at her. Her expression was different tonight, and it was the first thing I noticed about her.
It was less chaotic.
We stood there staring at each other for a few moments. The distance between us was thick with all the stuff we hadn’t said yet.
I played my role, stating the obvious, “If you were really going to leave me, you wouldn’t have waited for me to catch you doing it.”
Her reaction was instant, bracing herself. “This has nothing to do with you catching me, Kraven.” Her voice was sharp and steady. “And everything to do with the fact that I’m not like your family.”
There it was.
Clean. Direct. Intentional.
The hit landed exactly where she wanted it to.
My heart.
Except I didn’t react. This wasn’t about me.
“I won’t leave in the middle of the night and not come back,” she spoke, taking a small step forward. “I’m not going to disappear without saying anything. I’m not—” She swallowed hard before forcing the rest out. “I just wanted to say goodbye to you. I can’t be here anymore, not without Julius.”
Bye.
Not talk.
Not figure it out.
“That’s all this is about, Kraven.”
I watched her carefully. She believed what she was saying.
“You packed everything,” I observed. Pushing off the counter, I took a step toward the center of the room. “That’s not a goodbye. That’s a decision.”
“It is a decision,” she agreed. “I’m leaving.”
Her voice didn’t falter, but her fingers tightened slightly at her sides. When she moved toward the couch, she snatched one of the bags, pulling it toward her.
I didn’t move to stop her.
Not yet.
“You’re not ready for that.”
Her head snapped up. “You don’t get to decide what I’m ready for.”
“No,” I agreed, my tone calm, almost conversational. “But I do get to recognize when you’re making a move you can’t sustain.”
Determination flashed through her eyes. “I’ll figure it out.”
“How?”
