BENEATH THE SURFACE

AYLA

The paper trembled in her hand long after the spy disappeared.

Don't forget what love feels like. I'll be there soon. – L.

His words branded her soul.

She clutched the note to her chest and stared at the dark sky, as if it could offer her clarity. Guilt pulled at her insides. She had left him. Left them—Leon and Kalen—because of fear and confusion. Because she'd been drowning in the idea of what she owed, not what she felt.

But love… love was Leon. His silence when she needed calm. His rage when she was hurt. His voice when she had none. He had burned for her, sacrificed for her, searched until his soul was frayed.

And she… had walked away.

Now, she was surrounded by softness. Lavish halls. Kindness that felt rehearsed. Viper hadn't hurt her. He had been gentle, patient. Even fatherly. But it wasn't real. It wasn't earned. It was as though he was trying to reclaim something he'd never truly had.

Could she really stay?

Or was this just a golden cage?

LEON

Kalen clung to his sleeve.

"When is Ayla coming back?"

Leon closed his eyes. That question was a blade that never missed its mark.

"Soon," he said softly. "I promise."

He wrapped his arms around the boy, letting Kalen bury his face in his chest. "She misses you too."

Kalen sniffled. "You'll bring her back, right?"

Leon nodded. "Even if I have to burn everything to the ground."

His phone buzzed.

A coded message lit up his screen: She got the note. She remembers.

Relief slid through his chest, cold and warm all at once.

She hadn't forgotten him.

Not yet.

VIPER

From the second-floor balcony, Viper watched Ayla in the garden.

There was a softness to her tonight. A sadness in her steps. She reminded him so much of Elara.

She had Elara's eyes.

And now, he knew why.

She was his daughter.

But his heart, the one that had long since withered, stirred with something else. Not paternal instinct—but fear. Fear that he would lose her again. That she would disappear like Elara had.

She couldn't leave. Not now. Not when he had just found her.