Jade’s POV
Brielle didn’t cry.
That’s the thing about her. She doesn’t fall apart.
She holds.
Even when the ground shifts under her feet, even when the air gets too sharp to breathe: she braces. Shoulders square. Jaw set. Heart probably screaming inside her chest, but you’d never know it unless you looked closely.
I’ve gotten good at looking closely.
“I thought I earned this,” she said.
Her voice was calm. Almost cold. But I could hear the crack beneath it.
We were sitting at the eastern edge of the stronghold, where the overlook dipped just enough to see the valley stretching below. The wind was brisk. The kind of wind that wanted to cut through your coat. But she didn’t shiver.
I did.
“You did earn it,” I said.
Brielle exhaled through her nose. “Then why does it feel like I’m
