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Chapter 57 — Nate POV
I kick a pebble on the path, watching it bounce uselessly against another rock before rolling to a stop. The sun is already high, burning bright against the white sand roads leading away from the Grimlock estate, but I barely feel it. My mind is far too clouded with everything I've been trying not to think about.
Ember is busy. Not just busy—distracted, deeply occupied with her mate in a way I can't even blame her for. After everything they went through, they deserve this time. She deserves this happiness. I know that. I do.
But that doesn't stop the sting.
It's not just her absence I feel—it's the damn presence of Tristan I can't seem to escape. I've been avoiding the estate entirely. It's better than the constant tension in the air. The unspoken stares. The silent apologies in his eyes that never come with words. Ember told him not to talk to me, and he listened. That's what hurts the most.
I kick another pebble, harder this time.
"Hello."
