94

94

Bethany's POV

The first deep breath I took without the weight of that bomb strapped to my skin felt like freedom itself. It had taken weeks of planning, quiet whispers with Emily, stolen glances, and coded messages. But finally, the cursed thing was gone. Removed. Disarmed. Like a shackle I'd been forced to wear, now unlatched and cast aside.

No one else knew. Not Mason. Not Adrian. No one but Emily, whose steady hands and quick mind had made it possible. The sight of her friend, the healer who had carefully removed it from me, I still don't know how he had managed to, burned into my memory. His whispered, "You're good. It's out," still echoed in my ears.