Caz The house was still. Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, dust motes spinning in the golden hush. I stood in the kitchen, holding a mug I hadn’t taken a sip from, watching the coffee go cold. She was still asleep upstairs. Curled in our bed, body exhausted from the night of crying, of clinging to me like I was the only solid thing left. I had held her through it. No questions. No bitterness. Just my arms around her while her heart broke for someone else—even as she told me I was the one she was choosing. And I believed her. I felt her. But gods, it was brutal. It wasn’t supposed to feel like a funeral. I leaned against the counter, eyes closed, and exhaled slow through my nose. Angelus was quiet for once. Not peaceful—just…watching. Waiting. The way he always did wh

