Chapter 224. What’s Your Relationship?

Caleb’s POV

That evening, the air in the woods behind the packhouse carried the familiar scent of pine, damp earth, and the faint chill that always came with twilight. I stood beside Caroline, our breaths fogging slightly in the coolness as we waited. The trees swayed gently, casting long, jagged shadows that danced across the ground in a rhythmic hush. Neither of us said much. There wasn’t a need to—we both knew why we were here, what had to be said.

My arms were crossed, more out of tension than the cold, and Caroline was pacing slowly, her fingers fiddling with the ends of her sleeves, something she always did when she was trying to keep her emotions in check. The silence stretched out, only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves or the call of a bird somewhere deeper in the forest.

Then, I caught the scent first—familiar, earthy and unmistakably him. A few moments later, Jade stepped into view, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets, his stride unhu