“Evan?”
Kathy’s voice trembled as she called out to him—barely above a whisper, yet loud enough to strike the air like a stone thrown into still water. Evan paused with his hand on the doorknob. The muscles in his back tightened beneath his shirt, but he did not turn, did not look at her. For a heartbeat, the world held its breath with him.
The hallway they stood in was quiet, empty. Soft lantern light flickered along the stone walls of Crescent Moon’s pack house, casting warm shadows that did nothing to soften the chill between them. Outside, she could hear distant laughter—guests still celebrating somewhere, oblivious to the heartbreak unraveling inside these walls.
Kathy swallowed hard. Her fingers curled against her palm, fighting the urge to reach for him, to stop him, to feel anyt
