I’ve been in this office since we got back from the mall. Not because I had work to do—though there’s always work—but because I needed space. Space to think. Space to lie to myself a little longer.
She said “Goodnight, Nick.”
And I answered.
Didn’t even hesitate. Just let it slip out like it was still ten years ago and she was still mine to protect.
She’s close. Closer than I ever thought she’d get. And I’ve been letting her walk blind through a world built on secrets—with me standing at the center of the biggest one.
I told myself I’d wait. Let her figure it out on her own time. Let her come to me when she was ready.
But time’s up.
Hovak knocked once, then stepped in like he owned the place. Dude’s got the kind of confidence you can’t teach—earned it on the road, in the dark, when
