“What… did you just call me?” His voice trembled low and unsteady.
Her chin lifted a fraction as defiance flickered across her features.
“You called me Montclair…” he pressed, almost demanding her to speak out. His grip tightened, not in anger, but in a desperate need for confirmation. “Have you known?”
Abigail’s lips curled into a humorless scoff. She jerked her arm free from his grasp and the small motion sliced through the tension like a blade.
“I’ve long known you’re not Kai McGrath,” Abigail said. Her voice was steady but stripped of warmth, and every syllable carried the weight of a truth she had been forced to bear alone. Her eyes locked on his, unblinking, while his seemed to darken as if trying to hide. “I’ve known the truth… I’ve known all your lies.”
Kai’s breath faltered.
