Cassandra’s POVSebastian walked beside me, hands tucked into his pockets. My crutches clicked softly against the gravel path, a steady rhythm against the rustle of leaves in the late afternoon breeze. I kept them close, but the weight in my chest felt lighter than it had in days.We weren’t talking much, just walking, letting the wind and the forest sounds fill the silence. It wasn’t an empty silence; it was comfortable, expectant, like the air before a confession.He glanced at me once, a brief flicker in his dark eyes, and I caught myself smiling faintly, a small, involuntary upturn of my lips. He noticed. His lips quirked, just slightly, a ghost of a smile, and then he turned back to the path.That small exchange, that shared acknowledgment, was enough to make my chest tighten with a dizzying, hopeful feeling I definitely didn’t want to name.We reached a small clearing. The trees parted just enough for a shaft of light to fall on a thick, woolen blanket spread neatly on the g
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