Chapter 17: Splinters and Soft Landings

“Is this where you throw your glasses around and brood in the dark now?”

Naya’s voice broke through the hush of the study before she even realized she was speaking. The words came out softer than she intended, carrying more worry than wit, but they still earned the faintest tilt of Adrian’s head in her direction.

He didn’t answer.

She hovered at the threshold, fingers brushing the wood of the doorframe, as her eyes adjusted to the dim. The only light came from the city beyond the glass walls, scattered and restless, making the room look even lonelier.

Adrian sat in his chair at the desk, sleeves rolled up, his shoulders loose and defeated, his chest rising and falling like each breath cost something.

Her eyes drifted lower and caught the dark streak on the floor. A shattered tumbler lay near his feet, amber liquid soaking into the wood. His hand still curled half-shut, streaked red where a cut ran across his palm.

“You’re bleeding,” she said after a beat.

He let out a low sound — not