The hallway felt longer than usual that night. Every step echoed softly against the marble floor, blending with the faint sound of the twins' laughter from upstairs. Hugo's arm stayed around me, warm and reassuring, but my mind was somewhere else—back at the dining table, back to the silence that stretched between me and Kael Draven.
Even after all that had happened—the battles, the rifts, the danger we'd survived together—one truth still lingered in the air like a quiet storm: I didn't know how to face him.
When we reached the end of the corridor, I stopped and turned toward the large window that overlooked the garden. The moonlight spilled through, bathing the hallway in silver light. Hugo stopped with me, his expression softening.
"You're thinking about him," he said gently.
I didn't deny it. "I am."
