Chapter 53
Liam sat alone in his apartment, the light barely spilling past the edges of the desk lamp. He hadn't realized how tightly he'd been gripping his phone until Elijah's voice landed on the other end of the call. "He's here. Tamaro's with me." The words unfolded slowly in Liam's chest, part exhale, part bruise. His first impulse was to ask a hundred questions—Is Tamaro hurt? Did he cry? Did he eat? Does he know I never stopped waiting? But Elijah's tone had told him enough: Tamaro was safe. Not whole. But breathing. Liam pressed the edge of the phone to his forehead, eyes closed. The silence between Elijah's sentences was heavy, but Liam welcomed it. It made the words feel real. That Tamaro had been brave enough to leave, that someone had stepped in when Liam couldn't be there—that matte
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