Chapter 79

Lyra’s POV

The drive to the airport was surprisingly calm, even a little entertaining, because Audrey simply wouldn’t stop talking about her boyfriend—about their recent date, about how in love she was, and rather explicitly, about their intimate life. At first, I nodded along politely, more out of habit than genuine interest, but after a while my attention drifted away. The rhythmic hum of the taxi engine, the blur of passing streetlights, and my own anxious thoughts about the trip ahead all conspired to take me elsewhere.

“Lyra, are you listening?” Audrey’s voice cut through my daydream. She angled her head toward me, one brow raised.

“Yes, I’m listening,” I lied, blinking as I refocused on her eager expression.

She grinned and launched right back into her story—this time about how he’d surprised her with tickets to see that new play she’d been dying to watch. Before I knew it, we’d reached the airport terminal. Audrey practically bounced out of her