“Inez…” she whispers, her voice breaking. “Christina… where are they? The other girls—what happened?”
That one hits.
I feel it, deep and sharp, but I keep my voice steady.
“We’re finding them,” I say. “Jace is already tracking everything. We’re not done. You hear me? This isn’t over.”
Her eyes come back to me then.
Really looking this time.
Something shifts in her expression—subtle, but there. Confusion doesn’t disappear, but it mixes with something else. Something softer. Searching.
Like she knows something she can’t fully reach yet.
“Stay with me,” I murmur.
Her gaze drifts again, slower now, until it lands beside her.
The lilies.
I see the moment she notices them.
The smallest break in her expression. A flicker of something real pushing through the fog.
But it doesn’t stay.
Her breathing stutters, her blinking picks up, faster now, like something inside her just snapped back into place all at once.
Too much.
Too fucking much.
I lean in slightly, tightening myhold on her hand.
“Hey… don’t go there,” I say quietly. “Not right now.”
But it’s already happening.
Her eyes snap back to mine.
This time, there’s recognition.
Not clear. Not full.
But enough.
Enough to hit something deep in my chest.
“Becs.”
The name leaves me rougher than I expect.
And it lands.
Her face crumples instantly, tears filling her eyes as her fingers curl weakly in my hand.
“Please…” her voice breaks, shaking. “Please don’t hurt me… I won’t fight, I swear… just—please…”
