Chapter 183

Elyra POV

I hadn’t stepped foot in the city since I left. The skyline still looked the same, but the weight on my chest had grown heavier. The cab ride from the station to the hotel was silent, save for the humming of the engine and the chaotic rhythm of my thoughts. It had taken me weeks to summon the courage, months to even find the words. But now, sitting in a modest hotel room that smelled of lemon cleaner and recycled air, I was about to tell Kale everything.

I hadn’t seen him in so long. I disappeared. Switched off my phone. Blocked the noise. Blocked him.

And still, when I called, using a burner number, shaky hands, and a voice barely audible, he came.

A knock on the door. My heart lunged.

I opened it, and there he stood.

Kale…