Chapter 96

• It wasn’t the betrayal that shattered me… it was the ease with which he let me go.
• ARLET
• I couldn’t ignore the fact that Reile was now working closely with Ruben. It stung in a way I couldn’t explain, like a quiet ache that sat heavy in my chest. Every time I saw them together, it reminded me of how distant Ruben had become. He used to come home early, talk to me, sit beside me without rushing. But for the past week, he’d been leaving before I woke up and returning when I was too tired to keep my eyes open. I missed him. I missed us.