The weight of Ash's words lingered long after he had left her chamber, hanging in the air like the heavy scent of blood on a battlefield. Nia stood still for a long time, her heart beating louder than any thought in her mind. The room felt smaller, the shadows darker, as though the walls were closing in on her, forcing her to confront something she had spent years avoiding.
Could she save herself? Could she really let go of the vengeance that had defined her for so long?
For the first time, Nia found herself questioning everything—her purpose, her mission, the very foundation of who she had become. Ash's touch, his words, his silent plea to remember the person she had once been, echoed in her ears, unraveling the walls she had built around her heart.
But she couldn't—she wouldn't—be tha
