The door opened slowly, like whoever was on the other side was afraid of what they’d find. Lila stepped inside, alone, no friends, no phone in her hand almost like she wanted us to see she came in peace. She looked smaller than I remembered. Hoodie too big, sleeves bunched at her wrists, eyes red and puffy like she’d been crying for days. Her hair was messy, strands sticking to damp cheeks. She stopped just inside the threshold, arms wrapped around herself the same way I’d been doing for weeks. The apartment felt even smaller with her in it. Aldric stayed by my side on the couch, one hand resting lightly on my knee. Seraphiel stood near the door, arms crossed, body angled so he could block her path if she tried anything stupid. Neither of them spoke. They waited for me. I couldn’t look away from her. She opened her mouth, closed it, tried again. “I’m sorry,” she said. The words came out cracked, barely audible. “I… I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Not like this.”
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