Morning light poured gold through the Brisbane apartment windows, humid and soft. Birds called from the trees outside. Selene sat on the bed’s edge, Austin’s jacket draped over her shoulders like borrowed armor. Her knees were drawn up, arms wrapped tight. She looked smaller than he remembered—fragile, but not broken.
Austin had stayed on the couch all night, reading in dim light, never pushing closer than she allowed. Now he watched her from the doorway, careful not to startle.
“Morning,” he said quietly.
She glanced up. Blue eyes still stormy, but the fury had dulled to exhaustion. “Morning.”
He crossed the room slowly, knelt so they were eye-level. “How are you feeling?”
She bit her lip. “Angry. Scared. Confused.” A small, shaky breath. “Mostly confused.”
He nodded. “Fair. I can’t
