Naomi’s Pov;

The house felt too still when we got back.

No shouting, no movement. Just silence, the kind that feels thick, like the air itself is waiting for something to break.

Mara patched Cassian up in his office. I waited outside the door, pacing the hallway, listening to the muffled sound of her voice, the low rumble of his answers. Every few seconds, I caught myself rubbing the spot on my palm where his hand had touched mine in the car.

When Mara finally came out, her eyes flicked to me.

“He’s fine,” she said. “Stubborn, but fine.”

I nodded.

“Thanks.”

She hesitated before adding,

“He told me to...