Josie
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My breath felt caught between disbelief and something sharper—something that twisted behind my ribs and refused to let go. Kiel's voice still echoed in my head, calm, almost guilty.
I stared at him, the flickering firelight painting golden shadows across his face. "You're saying all this now?" My voice trembled, even though I tried to keep it steady. "After everything we've been through—after everything I've fought for—you choose now to tell me?"
Kiel's eyes softened, that familiar blue-gray storm that always seemed to hold both peace and trouble. "We never wanted you to think we were with you because of the curse, Josie," he said quietly. His tone wasn't defensive—it was pleading, careful. "We wanted you to know our love for you was real. That it came from us, not from anything twisted or forced by fate."
