Alderon's POV
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Maria stood in my doorway as if she had stepped out of a memory I hadn't earned the right to keep. The candlelight caught in her hair, softer than I remembered, yet there was a stillness to her now that made my chest tighten. She looked… steadier. Not unharmed. Not untouched. But unbowed.
"You're here," I said again, uselessly, as though repeating it might make the moment real.
"Yes," she replied, calm as glass. "I am."
I took a step toward her before I could stop myself, then halted, suddenly unsure of where I was allowed to stand. The space between us felt charged, heavy with everything we hadn't said—and everything we never could.
"I didn't expect—" I began, then stopped. "I didn't think you would want to see me."
Her lips curved—not into a smile, but something close to it. Something tired. "Neither did I."
That honesty landed deeper than anger would have.
I gestured awkwardly to the room. "Please. Come in."
