Kaelen's POV
She remained silent.
The quiet stretched between us like a taut wire ready to snap. I waited, watching her stand frozen as if refusing to move or speak might make this entire confrontation disappear. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her mouth stayed firmly shut.
Something twisted deep in my chest. What started as raw grief crystallized into something much sharper.
"Answer me."
Still nothing.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She held herself with that rigid posture she always adopted when she thought standing perfectly still would make her invisible, untouchable, innocent.
"Genevieve." The word came out quiet at first, then tore free from my throat and bounced off the walls. "Answer me."
She jerked back like I'd struck her. The tears clung to her lashes, but her spine snapped straight as if she'd suddenly remembered the role she was supposed to play. I watched her reorganize herself, fear melting into cold calculation.
