I stood there in silence, hollowed out, my thoughts dragging me back whether I wanted them to or not.
Five years of mating. He had been endlessly attentive in every other way. But in that kind of closeness, he had always been distant, detached. Every time felt like a duty performed without feeling, as if he were simply fulfilling an obligation.
I had told myself it was just his nature.
After all, I had never once seen him lose control in daily life.
Not until now. Not until he became "Caelan Nightfang."
Only now did I understand. When he was with the one he truly loved, he could lose himself too. He could burn that fiercely.
By the time I came back to myself, he had already hung up and walked into the kitchen.
He refused the household attendant's help and stood over the stove himself, preparing soup for Chloe Ashford.
I watched the scene for a moment, let out a quiet, self-mocking breath of laughter, and turned to leave.
Over the days that followed, I barely left my room. I stayed inside, waiting for the paperwork on the isle territory to finalize so I could leave the Nightfang estate for good.