Her blood was never theirs, but their betrayal still runs deep.

——

The door crashed open with such force that the walls trembled. My breath caught in my throat as Alex stood in the doorway, gun in hand, eyes wild with desperation.

"Lily" he breathed.

The sound of my name on his lips wasn't just a name, it was a cry, a confession, a prayer. He didn't have to say he was relieved, or that he'd missed me. I heard it anyway. I felt it sink into my bones, tugging at something tender and shattered inside me.

Even now, in this chaos, he was breathtaking. Gaunt, sleep-deprived, pale, but still...