Evie left the workshop with more questions than answers but feeling slightly less alone.
She spent the afternoon in the library, pretending to read but mostly just thinking.
About Marcus and the false life she'd built. About Nate and the real one being offered. About fear and wisdom and the difference between them.
By evening, she knew what she had to do.
She found Nate in his study, bent over territorial maps, looking like death but still trying to fulfill his duties.
He looked up when she entered, something hopeful and terrified flickering in his exhausted eyes.
"Hey," she said from the doorway. "Can we talk?"
"Of course." He stood slowly, wincing slightly, and moved to sit on the sofa. Gestured for her to join him.
"How are you feeling after this morning?"
"Guilty. Confused.
