ty streets. Lucian's hand remained entwined with Amara's as they stood side by s

silence thrummed with

locked on the skyline, "how someone can destroy pa

er hand in quiet reassurance. "They train you to think that way,"

. His words mirrored h

a streetlamp. His eyes searched hers-not invasive, but deeply prese

is," Amara confesse

with a half-smile. "But mayb

hung between them,

The city buzzed around them, but the world felt quieter somehow-just the sound of their

its window filled with faded

Lucian commented, no

"Let me guess. You judge pe

. "No judgment.

ing, her curiosity outweighin

es, shelves leaning beneath the weight of forgotte

fingers along the spines of novels. "My sister loved this place," he shared qu

rence in his tone, the flicker of

about her," sh

a worn poetry collection from the sh

lse qu

, flipping to a dog-eared page. "She used to rea

er eyes scanning

echoes remained-fragments of love,

rmed in h

nic, right? The same word

in Amara's chest-fear

oth fragments,

softly, "but fragments

eight of their shared scars lingering

ed th

ured

st time in a lo