The training room smelled of sweat and effort, the tang of determination hanging in the air. Olivia moved with a sharp precision Liam couldn’t look away from, her bare feet pivoting on the mat as she twisted and brought Ethan down in a controlled throw. The sound of his body hitting the floor echoed in the room, but Ethan laughed, breathless and impressed.
“Not bad,” he said, lying there for a moment before springing up like nothing had happened. “You’re getting faster.”
Olivia smiled faintly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her damp face. Her movements were fluid, unyielding. She was becoming stronger, more confident, and it should have been a relief. But to Liam, standing in the doorway, it felt like the floor beneath him had shifted just slightly out of place.
He wasn’t part of
