Ares's POV
The library was dim, quiet except for the echo of her breath. The air smelled of dust, old books, and tension so thick I could taste it. Her back was to me, shoulders stiff, her purse still clutched tight.
She turned at the sound of my voice, eyes wide, fire and fear colliding in them.
"Now you know why I couldn't save you." I said.
And there it was… her face in the half-light. Jasmine. Not the girl I had sworn to protect, not the woman who now fought me in boardrooms. Both. All at once.
Her voice broke the silence. Sharp. Accusing. "It was you. That night. In the courtyard."
I stepped from the shadows. Slow, deliberate. "You shouldn't be here, Jasmine."
"That's not an answer." Her heels scraped the marble as she backed away, but she didn't stop looking at me. Chin high. Eyes locked on mine. "What was that video? Who was that man?"
I let my jaw tighten instead of speaking. The truth pressed against my throat, but I forced it down.
She noticed. She always noticed.
