Elisa let out a sigh as she leaned into the soft leather seats of the SUV, it doing little to cushion the weight pressing against Elisa's chest. Raven sat beside her, arms crossed, the silence between them thick enough to choke on.
Elisa felt like her head was about to explode. It wasn't just the lingering adrenaline from the day or the knowledge that Rowan had escaped, It was everything else. The way Cael had looked at her with guarded eyes, the hollow words he'd offered in place of comfort, and the growing ache in her chest that Nate was the only one who made her feel seen lately.
She hated the confusion in her gut, hated how she missed Cael, how his absence still felt like abandonment, how the ghost of his scent haunted her more than her own dreams. And yet… Nate's steadiness, his presence—had become an anchor.
One she wasn't sure she should trust.
Her stomach churned as she remembered Cael's cold voice:
"You can do what you want, Elisa. You're not mine."
