Nico's jaw was tight, eyes avoiding Santi's like looking at him for too long would burn.
Without warning, he pushed Santi back against the wall again, firm but not rough.
"No," Nico said, voice low, final. "I can't. I've got to go."
Before Santi could even reach for him, Nico was already slipping away—moving with that silent, practiced stealth, weaving between the curtain and the dim corners until he was gone, the faint sound of a door easing shut the only proof he'd been there at all.
Santi stood frozen in the shadows, his chest rising and falling, heat still flooding through him.
His fists clenched.
His jaw locked.
Left hard, frustrated, and furious—not just at Nico for leaving, but at himself for wanting him even more now.
Nico kept low, hugging the cold stone wall as he slipped through the corridor.
The muffled clink of chains echoed faintly from somewhere ahead, quickening his steps.
Kyan was close.
He glanced over his shoulder—empty hallway. Perfect.
