Chapter 62

• “Ava, please... just hear me out,” Crown’s voice cut through the silence, his hand hesitating in the air like he wasn’t sure if it should touch me.
• I looked up, not quite meeting his eyes. The past days had been a blur—too many emotions, too many questions. I had tried to avoid him. To avoid the weight of whatever was hanging between us, but there he was, standing before me. His presence was both a comfort and a constant reminder of what we’d lost and what we hadn’t yet found.
• “Why now?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended. “After everything that’s happened... why come back now?”