Lyra's POV
The phone was still warm in my palm, like it knew it had just been used to set something irreversible in motion. The message had been short,just a location, a time, and one word: "Queen."
I stared at the glowing screen for a beat longer, then powered it off, slid it into the lining of my coat, and walked back into Leo’s estate like nothing inside me was splintering.
Because that’s what surviving was now,being two people at once.
One he could love.
One he couldn’t see.
Adrian responded exactly how I knew he would: fast, furious, and entitled. It was always ego with him, laced in sweet-talk and barely restrained desperation.
Adrian: This is it, Lyra. One shot. I’ll be ready. You just get Mira.
Adrian: And don’t wait too long. He won’t let you breathe once you disappear.
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