Evaline:
The silence that followed Kieran's words was suffocating.
It pressed against my ears, my chest, my thoughts... heavy and unyielding.
"Kieran," I said finally, my voice cutting through the stillness, "what are you talking about?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he leaned back against the couch, one hand rubbing his jaw as if he were trying to physically ground himself. His gaze drifted to the window, unfocused, distant. I could see it clearly now... the hesitation. The internal debate. Whether the thought that had just surfaced was worth voicing… or whether it was nothing more than coincidence dressed up as paranoia.
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
River shifted beside him. "Kieran," he called quietly, but firmly. "What is it?"
That did it.
Kieran lifted his head, his gaze moving between his brothers before finally settling on me. There was something almost apologetic in his eyes, as if he hated being the one to drag us deeper into uncertainty.
