Page 31 of Veil of Secrets

I pace once in a tight circle, fists clenched.

"You don’t own me."

“I know.”

I stop. Face him.

"I’m not yours."

He steps closer. Not enough to touch. Just enough for his voice to lower.

“No,” he says. “But maybe we’re not alone in this either.”

The word hits different.

We.

Not possession.

Not a claim.

A tether.

A line drawn in blood.

I don’t give an answer.

Because I don’t have one.

My brain’s still catching up to what just happened. To the years that wrapped themselves around Tommy’s name finally snapping apart in one slice.

He’s dead.

Tommy is dead.

And somehow, I’m still standing.

But the part that makes me want to throw up?

I’m not shocked that he’s gone.

I’m shocked how easy it felt to watch it happen.

And worse—how steady Nico’s presence is now that it’s done.

Like he knew the second he stepped out of the shadows that he’d be the one to end this chapter.

He doesn’t ask if I’m okay.

He doesn’t touch me.

That’s probably why I don’t hit him.

I step toward the rail. Grip it.

Salt coats my fingers.

The sun’s starting to rise behind the gray clouds, turning them peach at the edges. It should feel peaceful.

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