LOGINFor a beat, no one spoke. Then, he lowered Kaelani gently until her feet touched the ground, but he didn’t let go—his fingers slipping into hers, holding on like it was the most natural thing in the world. Kaelani’s gaze dropped to their hands. The contact stilled something inside her. No one ha
“You do.” He let his gaze drop—just for a second—to the space between them, the inches that still separated them. Then back to her. “But I meant it when I said I’d never leave you again… that was real.” A brief pause—not for effect, but because he meant it. “Not when it’s hard. Not when it’s me
Kaelani’s smile hit him harder than anything else had. For the first time, it was meant for him. Julian stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him and shutting out everything beyond it—the chaos, the noise, all of it. In here— was his peace. His heart. His whole world. He move
The room. The light. The faces. A breath caught in his chest. “Kaelani…?” His focus sharpened. His room. His packhouse. Familiar walls and scent. But something was wrong. His gaze moved quickly—his mother at his side, Jace by the window. No Kaelani. Julian pushed himself upright, pain tear
She didn’t look at him. “Julian Hale… fugitive status removed.” Another keystroke. “Jace Romano… fugitive status removed.” Her fingers paused for a fraction of a second before continuing. “Garrick Blake… charges dropped.” A quiet tap followed. “Release scheduled for… tomorrow morning.” Then—
A brief pause. “Am I wrong?” Councilor Voss didn’t answer. He simply watched her for a moment longer before speaking. “What is it that you want?” Kaelani held the room for a moment. “What I wanted the day I stood before you in the Chamber of Elders,” she said. “What I asked for then.” “To liv
He wondered if she’d opened the package yet. If she’d seen the dress. Did she like it? Did it make her smile, even for a moment? Or had it just reopened everything he’d already destroyed? He’d told himself the gift would soften her—ease some of the anger she had towards him. But after tonight, af
The streets were nearly empty by the time Kaelani locked the bakery behind her. The heat that had clung to the town all summer was finally breaking; the night air carried a faint chill that slipped beneath her sleeves. Her boots scuffed against the sidewalk, the sound too loud in the quiet. She kep
Kaelani’s eyes snapped back to Julian, her glare sharp enough to cut glass. He ignored it and started sweeping, long deliberate strokes that made it painfully obvious he had no idea what he was doing. She crossed her arms, watching unimpressed. “You’ve never swept a day in your life, have you?”
The steady whir of the ceiling fan stirred the warm air, carrying the faint metallic scent of disinfectant as Kaelani wiped down the inside of the oven. The clock above the counter ticked toward closing time, its steady rhythm the only sound between bursts of Tessa’s humming as she swept the front o







