William did not rush out of the room after that conversation, and that alone said enough about how much had shifted. Before, every interaction with Thea had felt like a collision, fast, sharp, something that demanded immediate response. Now, there was a pause between them that wasn’t hesitation but recognition. Not trust, not even close, but something that forced both of them to think a step ahead instead of reacting in the moment. He watched her for a second longer than necessary, as if committing something to memory, not her face, not her presence, but the way she carried control even when she admitted she didn’t have all of it. That kind of restraint didn’t come from training alone. It came from surviving things most people never saw.“You’re still here,” she said, her voice cutting through the quiet without looking at him.“I don’t leave conversations unfinished,” William replied.“This one is,” she said. “You just don’t like where it ends.”He almost smiled at that, but it didn’t
Last Updated : 2026-05-04 Read more