~Lyra~
Kai’s voice was low, rough like gravel scraped against steel. "Even before I understood what love was," he murmured, "I already loved you."
I stared at him—quiet, cold, unmoved.
"And after I realized it was love," he went on, "Every night I am away from you, it hurts. Just thinking of you—" his breath hitched, “my heart ached. My body ached.”
His voice dropped to a near whisper. “You were supposed to be mine. You promised to marry me. You can’t take that back.”
I shot back. “So you killed Kaelis? Killed Rylan? Turned the Manor into a bloodbath?” My voice cracked despite myself.
Kai lifted a hand, brushing his fingers over my lips—light, reverent, as if the contact might absolve him. “You don’t need to know all the details. None of it matters. I only ever wanted to be the one
