Maya's chest tightened under Ethan's glare. His ultimatum still rang in her ears. Tell me the truth, or we're done.
Done. Not just done protecting her. Done with everything they'd built. Done pretending he didn't see through every lie she'd fed him for months.
She wanted to tell him. For one desperate second, the need to unload everything clawed at her throat. The night her family died. The blood on the living room floor. The way the FBI had stripped her identity and told her to live as someone she wasn't. The killer's smile across the practice field.
If I tell him, he becomes a target. If I don't, I lose him anyway.
Her lips parted. "Ethan, I..."
"Don't."
Mateo's voice cut through the moment like a blade. He was standing a few feet away, fists clenched at his sides, dark eyes locked on Maya with fierce intensity. She hadn't even heard him approach.
How long has he been there? How much did he hear?
Ethan turned, startled. "What the hell are you doing here?"
