Elijah leans against the wall, arms crossed, jaw clenched. He’s staring at you like you're a stranger, like he doesn’t recognize the person who once swore she’d never go back to the one who hurt her.

“Tell me again,” he says, voice low and trembling with something between fury and heartbreak. “You... actually gave him another chance?”

His eyes narrow slightly. You can feel the storm beneath the surface — not anger, not really. Something worse: betrayal. And fear.

He won’t beg. Elijah Avery doesn’t beg. But gods, it’s tearing him apart.