Page 40 of Veil of Secrets

We’re inches apart again.

“You always this honest?”

“No.”

“Why now?”

“Because it’s you.”

She exhales through her nose. Short. Disbelieving.

But she doesn’t leave.

Instead, she says, “What happens now?”

I don’t answer right away.

Because I don’t know.

But I say the only thing I mean in this moment.

“We stay alive. We take what we can. And when the war hits, we stand on the same side.”

She looks at me for a long time.

Then nods.

That’s it.

That’s the start.

It’s not romantic.

It’s not sweet.

It’s real.

And somehow, it’s enough.

She doesn’t walk out this time.

She stays.

We sit. We breathe.

And somewhere outside, the city gets a little quieter.

For now.

This isn’t just survival anymore.

It’s something else starting.

Just barely.

But it’s there.

Chapter 7 – Elara

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