_Lisa's POV_
Kael’s hand was warm...too warm. My breath hitched as I stood there, frozen between two worlds—one I had left behind and one I was trying to build.
“Please,” he whispered, “don’t go.”
I didn’t turn around fully. I couldn’t. If I saw his face, I wasn’t sure what I would do.
“Let go of me, Kael,” I said, my voice low and trembling.
But he didn’t move. His grip wasn’t tight, just… desperate.
“I made a mistake,” he said again, louder this time. “A huge mistake. Rejecting you… it was the worst thing I’ve ever done.”
I closed my eyes.
Sierra’s voice echoed inside me. He means it. He’s telling the truth. The shard is still in your mouth. He can’t lie, Lisa.
No. I couldn’t believe him. I wouldn’t.
“You think I’m a fool?” I snapped and turned sharply. “Do you think I was born
