EMBER’S POV
I’m terrified this will ruin the moment. This fragile, beautiful thing we’ve built under the Northern Lights.
But I’m tired of everyone telling me what to think about Knox. Tired of Gale’s poison and Rayana’s warnings and rumors whispered behind hands at cocktail receptions.
We don’t owe each other anything. This arrangement is fake.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m being pulled in every direction, and I need to hear the truth from him. Not from Gale. Not from Rayana. From Knox.
“So I’m asking,” I continue, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “What really happened to her?”
For a long moment, I think he won’t answer. I’m prepared for him to shut down, retreat behind those walls he wears like armor.
Instead, he starts talking. His voice is flat. Distant. Like he’s re
