"Lyra? Do you love me?" Zane asked, gently lifting my chin so I would look him in the eyes. His voice was low, but there was an urgency there I hadn’t heard before.
My breath hitched. His gaze was intense, unblinking. I nodded slowly, barely audible. "Yes... I do, but—"
"But what?!" he snapped, his voice rose sharply and suddenly rising.
I flinched. My heart dropped. Why was he shouting? He had never raised his voice at me before. The sound felt like a crack through the trust we’d built.
Why was he acting like this? This wasn’t even his sister. He had no idea who Mila was, not the way I did. And yet, here he was, shouting like something sacred had been touched. Like her death was his to mourn more than mine.
I stepped back, breaking the contact between us. "I'm sorry," I murmured, my
