Chapter 87

Liam

There was a shift.

And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find the right answer to what had happened or what was bothering her.

It wasn’t in her touch or her voice. No. She still kissed me good morning, still smiled when Anastasia ran into our arms, still answered my questions with that soft tone she always used when we were alone.

But something behind her eyes was... off.

Like she was either trying to hide something or something was bothering her.

We were sitting in the common area that morning, Alaria beside me on the couch, Anastasia curled up on the rug with a coloring book and her bear. The sun spilled through the windows, casting everything in that golden warmth people often called perfect.

But Alaria’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

I watched her fingers mindlessly twist the hem of her sleeve, a habit I’d seen before when something was bothering her, something she didn’t want to talk about. It amazed me that t