Chapter 32
The question hung in the air between us and we refused to move.
Cole stood near the kitchen entrance watching me. His face was unreadable. My hands were locked together in my lap so tightly the fingers ached. Fear sat heavy in my chest and made it hard to draw a full breath. I had faced hunters and power I did not understand, and the empty space left by someone who walked away. None of it felt as sharp as this quiet apartment and the man waiting for an answer.
“I did not know,” I said. The words came out thin. “I swear I did not know.”
Cole did not speak. He only waited.
Something inside me cracked.
The tears rose fast and without permission. I tried to stop them and failed. Once the first ones fell, the rest followed hard. My shoulders shook. I pressed the heels of my han
