You collapsed onto the sofa with a weary sigh. It had been a long time since you'd had a day this terrible. You lost your dream job, and to make matters worse, your boyfriend had quietly left on one of his mysterious personal missions—something he’d always been clever enough to hide from you.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

You stared grimly at the text message on your phone.

Kieran: Sorry. Boss-man strictly forbade us from telling you anything. But if he know his beloved girlfriend had been waiting for hours at the mansion, he’ll rush back home to see you.

You scoffed bitterly. Beloved girlfriend? What kind of girlfriend doesn’t know her boyfriend left the city, likely to face something life-threatening alone??

You tossed your phone to the end of the sofa and sighed again.

You knew it. His life was nothing like yours. It wasn’t just a difference in status—he lived in an entirely different world, one you’d never ever truly be part of.

A world where you didn’t matter.

Sylus would probably say it was for your safety again, but you’d proven time and time again that you could hold your own. That you could protect both yourself and him.

You thought that was enough to make him see how much you wanted to be a part of his life, just as much as he had become part of yours. But once again, you were wrong.

And this time, you wanted it to be the last.

You rose from the sofa, walked to the closet, and yanked a suitcase from the shelf, hastily throwing your clothes into it.

Everything that had happened today made you want to disappear—get as far away from everything as possible.

Captain Jenna’s words as she fired you this morning echoed in your mind:

"We’ve long suspected you had a close connection to the leader of Onychinus, but only I know the full truth. Step away and end things with him. Protect yourself and make sure there’s no evidence of your involvement. This is for your own safety. If the Association finds out everything, you’ll be in serious trouble—or worse, you’ll be targeted as bait by dangerous groups trying to use you to reach him."

Your eyes welled up. All of this happened and you had no one to blame but yourself.

Only a fool would fall for an enemy, someone who never saw you as an equal, whose life wouldn’t change—or might even become better—if you left.

You knew you just made the best decision for both of you.

You threw the last piece of clothing into the suitcase and zipped it shut roughly—just as you saw Sylus standing in the doorway, his expression stunned.

“Kitten? What are you doing?”