Page 104 of Aviatrix

“She kissed him!” Amber cries as she points to me. “I saw her.”

The entire base seems to pause, heads turning like dominoes.

“She’s not cheating on me,” Lark says quietly, holding her gaze.

“I saw it,” she says, barely above a whisper.

Lark’s eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I see him. The man I fell in love with. The man who challenged me to be more, to dig deeper. The man who built a future with me. And the man who shattered it.

But mostly, I see the weight of what he’s about to do—what he has to do—for her.

“Let’s go inside,” Lark says.

“Tell him, Kinley,” Amber demands. “Tell him you cheated on him.”

My throat burns as Lark looks down at her.

“I cheated, Amber. I cheated on Kinley,” he confesses.

She stares at him, stunned. “N-no.”

“We’re not engaged anymore,” he says softly.

“What about D.C.?” She hiccups. “You weren’t—”

“We were already separated,” he says. “But I asked her not to say anything. I didn’t want you to look at me the way you’re looking at me now.”

Her bottom lip trembles. “We were going to be a family again.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, and means it.

Amber shoves away from him. “I… I don’t want to be near you right now.”

She runs off.

Lark drops his head into his hands.

And surprisingly, it’s Sasha who speaks next.

“Let’s get back to work,” she calls, clapping once. “Nothing to see here.”

Despite everything, she gives me a small smile. Not smug, not cold. Just… understanding.

Once the crowd begins to disperse, I walk over to Lark. My steps are quiet. Careful.

He lifts his head as I stop in front of him. Grief and guilt wreck his features. It’s written all over his blue eyes.

“We need to talk,” I say quietly.

“I don’t want to talk about this right now,” he replies, drawing in a sharp breath.

“I don’t either,” I admit, “but this isn’t about us. We need to talk about my mom.” I pause. “And the fact that the aliens made contact with me again.”

Lark’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Not here.” I glance around. “Let’s go to your office.”

He straightens, taller than he probably feels. “Alright.”