Chapter 118

• He drove straight to Lanika’s home, the wheels screeching as he sped down the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, his mind filled with nothing but the sound of his mother’s fading voice and the face of the girl he had sworn to protect.
• Lanika was his only hope now. She was his partner in this mess, his anchor in the storm. He needed her calm, her courage, her determination to fix what he had broken.
• But deep down, beneath all the love and regret, there was a thread of quiet annoyance with himself. For being so naive. For letting his grieves blind him to the truth. For forgetting the most important promise he had ever made.