ETHAN’S POV
Alex Robinson walks away like the ground doesn’t c***k behind him. Like his presence didn’t tilt the air, didn’t drag old ghosts into the open, didn’t rip something loose inside the woman standing beside me. The moment his back disappears into the crowd, Lavender’s body gives up. It’s subtle at first, a sway, barely noticeable. A sharp intake of breath that sounds wrong. Her fingers tighten around my sleeve, not deliberate, not intentional.
Instinct kicks in before thought. “Lavender,” I say, turning fully toward her. “Hey, hey, I’ve got you.”
Her knees buckle. She doesn’t cry out. Doesn’t warn me. One second she’s upright, pale but standing, and the next her weight collapses into me like a tide pulling inward.
I catch her just in time. Her body feels frighteningly light in
