Days had passed since Amrey and Mark locked Jariel in the captain’s cabin, forcing her to confront the tangled mess of her emotions and the unresolved issues that had been festering like a slow poison. The plan was a bold, reckless move to get Jariel to face the truth she’d been dodging for weeks. It worked, in a way. She’d come out of that cabin raw, exposed, but clearer-headed, her heart no longer a battlefield of denial. Mark played a vital role, securing the door . Yet, in all those days, amrey hadn’t said a word of gratitude to him. Not a single “thank you” for his role in helping her and taking the hit for everything,It gnawed at her, that omission, like a debt unpaid.
Duty hours aboard *Anchored*were long and grueling, the ship’s endless hum a constant reminder of their isolation i
