I didn't expect to find Sylas in my lab that night. The soft hum of medical equipment was usually a comfort, but tonight, it felt suffocating. I stood at the door, watching him as he frantically shuffled through my research, rifling through papers with a look of desperation on his face.
"Sylas." My voice was low, but it cut through the tension like a knife.
He froze, his eyes snapping up to meet mine, the color draining from his face. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, he tried to cover up the papers, shoving them into his bag with a practiced ease that told me this wasn't the first time.
I took a step forward, my eyes narrowing. "What are you doing?"
His hand froze mid-motion, and he slowly turned to face me, his face hardening. "Celeste... I... I was just—"
"No." I shook my he
