The silence didn’t last.
It never did.
War didn’t wait for answers.
It didn’t pause for understanding.
It only moved forward—loud, violent, consuming everything in its path.
And yet—
For a moment—
Everything around me felt distant again.
Muted.
Like the world had taken a step back just to let the truth settle.
A weapon.
The word echoed in my mind, heavier now than it had been seconds ago.
Because this time—
It wasn’t just a guess.
It wasn’t fear.
It was confirmation.
My chest rose slowly as I looked at Rowan, my thoughts moving faster than my body.
Every memory I had buried.
Every moment I had dismissed.
Every time something didn’t make sense—
It all started lining up.
Too perfectly.
Too intentionally.
“You’re lying,” I said.
But the words didn’t carry the same weig
