Chapter 62

• KAEL
• Her breath stuttered, uneven and shallow, and my hand slipped under her shirt to rest against her stomach. Her skin was warm there. Familiar. Too much had happened today. For both of us. Part of me knew she deserved time to process it all. Space to breathe.
• Another part of me could see how tightly she was holding herself together. Like one wrong thought would crack her open. She didn’t need silence. She needed relief. A pause. This was the only way I knew how to give her that.