I rise, brushing my palms against my thighs. “I’ll head back, then.”
“Mayah, wait,” Daak says, standing swiftly. He cups my cheek. “I—you know I love you, right? Even if you and the Commander … even if he’d made you—I’d still want you. I’llalwayslove you.” His blue eyes are earnest, vulnerable, but my heart feels numb, like it’s been pressed against unforgiving ice for days.
“I know,” I murmur. “I just—things feel different now.”
He presses closer, walking me backward until my back rests against the wall. Daak presses his forehead to mine. “It will get better. Things can go back to how they were. Howwewere.”
My heart aches in my chest. I want nothing more than towantthat. Things would be much simpler.
But I don’t.
“Daak…”
He erases the distance between us, crashing his lips to mine in an urgent kiss. It tastes of desperation. He’s trying to hold onto me.
And I let him.
I let him pretend this is still real, that I’m still his. But part of me already belongs to someone else—and that’s the part I hate most.
I turn my head away, pushing gently at his chest.
“Daak,” I sigh. “Daak, wait.”
“Mayah, please,” he groans against my lips, leaning forward to capture them again. He grabs my leg, wrapping it around his waist. “Just …please.”
I don’t stop him. It’s easier than explaining the storm inside my chest.
So I let him kiss me. A quiet surrender. A parting gift.
He doesn’t know it’s goodbye—but I do.
I close my eyes and let him hold me. Not because I want him to, but because he’s loved me for so long. And I still love him back in my own way. Just not enough.
So this is my goodbye.
The last time he’ll kiss me.
With a sudden jerk, Daak draws back. Confusion clouds his blue eyes, then fear.
“Wh—”
He never gets to utter his question.
His body convulses, the air crackling around him. I can only watch in horror as his limbs contort.
The crackling growing louder. The stench of burning flesh permeates the air, undercut with a metallic tang.
The light fades from his blue eyes as he collapses to the floor.
My breath stalls.
My heart stops.
Behind where Daak stood is my husband—
—and I have never seen anything more terrifying.
Chapter Forty-Eight
