And how long had they been watching?
My chest tightened at the thought of my father—the way he walked in, the rage, the pressure already building. Things were slipping, and that never happened.
Not to us.
Not like this.
And Becca…
She was out there. Alive. Knowing.
“Fuck,” I hissed, dragging my hands down my face. “This is fucked.”
I didn’t trust this.
Any of it.
Not the silence. Not the chaos. Not the way everything fell apart so perfectly it almost looked planned.
And for the first time in a long time…
I didn’t even know who the fuck I could trust.
Not even the man standing right in front of me.
13
Silas
I shouldn’t have stepped outside.
That’s the first thing that hits me the second Jace’s voice cuts through the hall.
“She’s waking up.”
For a split second, I don’t move. The words don’t land right away—they hover there, like my brain needs a second to catch up.
Then they hit.
She’s awake.
“Fuck—”
The word leaves me as I’m already moving. The cigarette drops from my hand, forgotten, burning out against the ground as I push throughthe door and head straight down the hall. I don’t slow. Don’t think. Nothing else matters right now.
Just her.
The room comes into view in pieces—the low hum of machines, the steady rhythm of a monitor, the sterile air—but it all fades the second I see her.
She’s not still anymore.
Her fingers twitch weakly against the sheets, her breathing uneven like her body is fighting its way back to the surface.
Alive.
A tight breath pulls from my chest, sharper than I expect. Relief hits first, heavy and unfamiliar, settling somewhere deep where I don’t like anything to sit. Right behind it comes something else.
Pride.
