I looked at him. Really looked at him. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t know what to feel.

I felt empty.

Like every version of him I’d built in my head was slowly peeling away, and underneath… I didn’t know what was left.

Ryder didn’t look away. “Liliana dyed her hair,” he said quietly. “That’s when I lost interest.”

My throat tightened. “You say that like it’s normal.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” He rubbed his hand down his face. “I wasn’t possessive with her. I wasn’t even… invested. Not the way I should’ve been.”

“So why did you date her?”

He shrugged, like...