Chapter 247

• The sky deepened into twilight, soft purples and blues stretching across the horizon. The river mirrored it, gentle ripples scattering the fading light across our faces. We lay back for a moment, shoulders touching, simply watching the world turn quietly around us.
• “I keep thinking about all the nights we survived,” Julian said after a pause, his voice low. “Not just the big battles, but the quiet ones, the ones nobody knew about.”
• I turned my head toward him, letting the last light catch his eyes. “I remember,” I said. “Every sleepless night, every worry, every moment I thought I couldn’t do it. But I did.”