Anais didn’t speak a word as she powered down the terminal.
The cold light of the observatory cut sharp angles across her face, casting shadows beneath her eyes, over her lips. Her fingers clenched the chip labeled Cassian so tightly, the edges cut into her skin.
He had known.
All along.
Not just about Maris—but about the Revenant Protocol, Cerberus, the architecture of everything they were fighting against.
Because he helped build it.
And still, he had stood beside her. Saved her. Shielded Maris. Given orders. Played protector.
Was any of it real?
Anais rose from the chair slowly. Maris sat across the room, legs dangling from a broken bench beneath the telescope, her small figure silhouetted by the early glow of morning.
“Anais?” she said quietly.
Anais turned. Her voice felt ra
