“The temperature’s just right,” I said, handing it to him with a faint
smile. “Don’t let it get cold.”
In that moment, I looked exactly like the woman I had been five years
ago—
obedient, quiet, considerate.
Only this time, my heart was empty.
“I…” He started, his tone laced with something complicated. “Maybe you
should get some rest.”
I nodded.
“All right.”
I set down the cup and walked toward the door.
My shadow stretched long in the morning light spilling through the
window.
“Lucas,” I said softly, stopping in my tracks. My voice was so light it
almost dissolved into the air.
“Five years ago, I saved your life.”
He froze.
“But now,” I continued, “it’s time I saved my own.”
The door closed behind me, and I heard him take a long, heavy breath.
Nova leaned toward him, her voice a whisper, tinged with amusement.
“Don’t mind me. I’m just jealous.”
I didn’t look back.
Sunlight poured through the glass window, falling across the back of my
hand.
The scar there still burned faintly—
a mark left from the day I signed the surgery consent form five years
ago.
A seal that would never heal.
Kendall—
her smile faltered, cracking at the corners. My words had stolen
whatever composure she had left.