We followed him through the back corridor, where the lights were dim and the halls were empty. The air outside was cool against my skin as we stepped into the night. A black car waited for us, its windows tinted.
The drive was silent. My mother held my hand tightly, and for once, neither of us looked back.
When the car stopped, I looked up to see the faint outline of a private helicopter waiting at the edge of an empty airfield. As the helicopter lifted off, the lights of the city below blurred into gold and white.
The noise, the lies, the pain—it all began to fade with every meter we climbed.
I leaned back against the seat, closing my eyes. My body was still weak, my heart still raw, but for the first time in years, I could breathe.
Nathan’s POV
Amber stood beside me in front of the full-length mirror—her lips painted a soft rose, her curls falling over her shoulders, her sling neatly wrapped so it looked more like an accessory than an injury. She adjusted her earrings while beaming, eyes sparkling with a kind of triumph she no longer bothered to hide.
I watched her reflection.
The way she leaned close to me.
The way she smiled as if today was her coronation.
Because in her mind—it was.