KAIA’S POV
I quickened my pace, my boots digging into the dirt path as I tried to catch up. My chest felt tight, as though my own guilt was weighing on my lungs. Ahead of me, I spotted them—Leander and Everett was walking side by side. They looked to be having a conversation, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying due to the distance between us.
For a moment, I almost stopped. Part of me wanted to turn back, to let the distance grow, to avoid what I knew would be a painful conversation. But the thought of leaving things as they were made my stomach twist uncomfortably. If I let him walk away angry, that wedge between us would only grow deeper. I couldn’t let that happen.
“Leander… wait,” I called, my soft voice only loud enough to reach him.
Both men paused. Everett glanced back fir
