ELISA’S POV
The door creaked open, slow at first, then all at once.
Azrien stood there, his hand braced against the frame. His eyes caught the light from the hallway, and I could almost see through them to the storm inside him, barely contained. He looked tired—his hair tousled, his jaw set—but more than that, he looked.... relieved.
“Elisa,” he said quietly, in a voice that sounded like he’d been awake far too long.
So then what was he still doing in here? Why hadn’t he come out?
My throat tightened. For a heartbeat, I almost turned away. Almost told him it could wait since he seemed to need time to himself so badly. But then Eva’s voice whispered again in my mind, urging me to stay and tell him.
“I… needed to talk to you,” I said.
His gaze searched mine calmly, and then he steppe
