Chapter 329. Not Sleeping

LEE

When we arrived at the Cobarde building, the first thing I saw was Ashton sitting on the ground, crying. He was hugging his knees tightly to his chest, his head buried against them as his body shook with sobs. His back moved with each ragged breath, and the sight of him broke something inside me. I hadn’t even stepped off the kalesa yet, but tears were already streaming down my face as I began to sob uncontrollably.

The moment the kalesa came to a halt, I jumped down without waiting for it to stop completely. My legs carried me quickly to Ashton, and I threw my arms around him, pulling him into a desperate hug.

As I held him, emotions crashed over me in waves. I didn’t know what to feel. Relief, because he was alive, unharmed, and the stalker hadn’t managed to hurt him. Or sorrow, because I already understood why he was crying. He didn’t need to say a word for me to know—whatever plan he had set into motion, it hadn’t succeeded. His sobs were those of d