“You’re just going to let him walk out like that?”
“What do you want me to do?” he asked, frustration creeping back in, not directed at me but present anyway. “Chase him? Force him to talk when he clearly doesn’t want to?”
“Yes.”
He stilled. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” I insisted. “If you don’t, he’s going to shut down completely, and you know that. Youknowhow he is.”
Kraven exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over the back of his neck. “I also know that if I push him right now, he’ll swing, and I’m not talking about physically.”
“Then don’t push him. Just be there for him. I’m stuck here right now, so it has to be you.”
His eyes flicked back to meet mine. “You want me to go after him?”
I held his gaze. “Yes.”
JULIUS
I didn’t remember walking out of the hospital room. Not fully. It wasn’t in a way that felt clear or intentional. It wasn’t a conscious decision as I made my way outside the hospital. I needed air—fresh, clean air.
The moment I did, the air hit me differently. It was colder, sharper, like it cut through the fog in my head just enough to make everything feel louder, not quieter.
We’re not brothers.
The words hadn’t stopped.Not once.They just kept repeating, circling, digging deeper every time they came back around. Slicing into my skin, my heart, my soul. The truth was trying to force itself into something permanent, something I couldn’t ignore or push away, no matter how hard I tried.
I leaned back against the wall, setting a hand over my face, pressing my palm against my eyes as if I could block it all out or shut it off for just a second, but it didn’t work. It never did.
This wasn’t something I could escape or ignore. It wasn’t something I could fix or control. That was the hardest part for me. Every single one of those decisions had been built on the assumption that Kraven was my brother. That he was mine to protect. Mine to take responsibility for.
My family.
“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath, pushing off the wall.
I needed movement, wanting something to burn off the energy. It was building under my skin. If I stayed still, if I let myself sit in the truth too long, I was going to break.
And I didn’t get that luxury.
KRAVEN
I didn’t move right away. Even after she said it, knowing she was right. Going after him meant I was going to see a version of him I didn’t know how to fight. She was watching me.
Waiting.
“Fine.” I pushed off the door. “I’ll go.”
Her shoulders dropped slightly with relief. It was what she needed right then, and I could do this for her and the baby. This wasn’t going to be easy, but nothing about my relationship with either of them ever was.
I stepped out into the hallway, the door closing softly behind me. It didn’t take long to find him. He always owned every space around him, whether he wanted to or not.
He was pacing, holding himself together by nothing but force.
“Julius.”
He didn’t stop. He didn’t turn. He didn’t acknowledge me.
I stepped closer. “Julius.”
