Flights of Tension, Falls of Regret  

[EVE]

I had kept my departure a secret from everyone except Sinclair. I didn't want anyone following me to Germany.

This was my journey—a deeply personal one—and I needed solitude to focus on searching for my real family.

But, of course, there was one person I couldn't deceive.

Cole.

"You're not going alone," he had said the moment he found out. I should have known better than to expect otherwise.

Now, here we were, seated inside his private jet, flying toward Berlin. His presence wasn't exactly unwelcome, but it wasn't what I had planned either.

"I'm the head of your bodyguards," he reasoned, his tone calm yet firm. "What if you get kidnapped again while you're there?"

I had to admit—he had a point. After everything that had happened, the idea of being truly alone in a foreign country carried its own risks.