Page 61 of Siren Problems
Because inside, I’m quiet.
Not triumphant. Not proud.
Just this dull ache ofalmost.
Because Calder still hasn’t come back.
He’s not in the shack. Not on the cliffs. Not near the tide marker where he usually broods dramatically at dusk.
And I’m starting to feel it in my bones.
The withdrawal. The slow sinking.
The feeling ofbeing left again.
“Maybe I’m just tired,” I mumble.
Kai gets up, crosses the room, and sits beside me.
“You haven’t seen him?”
I shake my head. “Not since the dream.”
Her brow furrows. “You told him about the grant?”
“I haven’t even seen hisshadow,Kai.”
She doesn’t push.
Just leans into me, shoulder to shoulder.
“You still want to go?” she asks after a long beat.
“I don’t know.”
Because it was supposed to be simple. Glory or heartbreak. Power or love.
But it’s not.
Because if I stay—and he doesn’t want me, I’ll have given up everythingfor nothing.
And if I go, I’ll always wonder if he would've come back.
CHAPTER 20
CALDER
Ifind her on the cliffs, like I knew I would.
She’s silhouetted against the dusk, wind tangling her hair, her coat clutched tight around her like she’s trying to hold herself together.
I don’t say her name, not yet.
Because I don’t know what I’m about to say after.
She turns when she hears my footsteps—sharp and slow, like she’s bracing for a wave.
“You’re late,” she says, voice flat.
