CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR __ LONG NIGHT
The café by the river stayed open through the night, its windows reflecting more darkness than light as the hours stretched on. Inside, the air carried the muted scent of coffee grounds and old wood, worn smooth by years of quiet conversations that never quite found their endings. Aou chose it because it was neutral. He wanted to sort things out in a quiet place. Time moved differently here. When Aou arrived, it was without ceremony. An apology for being late. No explanation. Just the soft scrape of a chair as he sat across from Kian, placing his phone face-down on the table as if to signal that whatever waited beyond this moment could remain there. Kian noticed immediately how composed Aou still looked and how that composure now seemed held together by effort rather than ease. His shir
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