Irina’s POV
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Four months later…
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I’ve gotten used to the distance pains. They are like a dull ache that spreads from my chest to the rest of my body, a constant, humming reminder of a bond stretched taut across the miles. It’s my new normal. Theia has settled into a sort of resigned hibernation, a quiet, aching presence in the back of my mind.
We don’t talk about him. We don’t talk about much at all.
Life in Blue Moon has settled into a grim, predictable pattern. I am Julie’s shadow, her servant, her whipping post. But the dynamic has shifted. The fear is gone, replaced by a cold, calculating patience. I endure her petty torments not because I have to, but because I am choosing to. For now.
I kept my word and started recording everythin
