Elira's POV

There he was on the staircase.

Cassian.

The doctor who nearly drained the life out of Aiden. The man whose shadow had hovered over every unanswered question, every ambush, every wound that kept us running in circles.

He stood there as if he owned the moment—calm, patient, almost amused. His eyes slid down to the picture in my hand, and then his lips curved, slow and deliberate.

“I see you’ve found everything,” he said. “Recognition looks good on you.”

A tremor rippled through my stomach. I swallowed it down.

“Martha…” I breathed her name like it hurt. “You’re related to Martha. Why are you doing this? She died...