Aisha sneaked out of the pack house that afternoon with her head spinning.
Amara’s words still echoed in her ears—weak, replaceable, if you disappeared.
Normally, they would have burrowed deep, taken root, grown into something poisonous she couldn’t pull out.
But now they just… hovered.
Unsettling. Uncomfortable. Not unquestioned.
That was why she didn’t immediately turn away when she heard her name.
“Aisha.”
She froze.
She knew that voice.
She turned slowly and saw him standing near the edge of town, hands shoved into his coat pockets like he had every right to be there.
He looked the same—familiar smile, careful posture, eyes that always searched for cracks.
Her ex, Daniel.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Your friend said you might need someone who actu
