Kyra walked down the hallway, her heart heavy with the weight of Ryder’s past. Every step felt slower than the last as Michelle’s words echoed in her mind—the pain, the loss, the unimaginable burden Ryder had carried for so long. She stopped in front of his study door, the light shining faintly from the crack beneath it.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she slowly pushed the door open. Ryder was at his desk, leaning over a stack of papers, his reading glasses perched on his nose. The dim light illuminated the sharp lines of his face, and his brow was furrowed in deep concentration as he scribbled away. He didn’t notice her at first, so absorbed in his work.
Kyra stepped inside, her footsteps soft as she approached him. When she reached him, she gently wrapped her arms around his s
