Before Chiva could say another word, her entire body tensed, a familiar presence brushing against her senses like a warm gust of wind before a storm. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart slamming against her ribs as an unmistakable aura filled the space around her.
"Chiva… we need to talk."
His voice—low, raw, filled with anguish—struck her like a blade to the chest, each syllable laced with desperation, with something she had never thought she would hear from him. Heartbreak.
She turned slowly, her breath uneven, her mind racing even as she tried to brace herself for the storm about to unfold. And there he was—Kaian, standing a few paces away, his usually composed expression shattered, his eyes burning with an intensity that made her legs feel weak beneath her. Even her father, C
