Evaline:
The silence that stretched inside the ward felt suffocating. It wrapped around me like a heavy blanket I couldn't shake off. My pulse was thudding so loudly in my ears that I was sure Kieran could hear it, but still neither of us spoke.
Finally, River let out a small breath, the kind that sounded like he had been holding the world on his shoulders and had decided, just for a second, to set it down. He stood up, his tall frame casting a shadow across my bed.
"You two should talk and clear this," he said gently. "I'll step out."
Panic surged through me instantly. My fingers tightened around his hand as though letting go meant losing my last thread of balance. I wanted to talk to Kieran, needed to, but the fear that had been gnawing at me since River first brought up the possibility clawed its way deeper into my heart.
What if this made them all uncomfortable? What if this unravelled the fragile peace I had with my mates? What if I lost their trust? What if…
