My throat clamps shut.
I nod.
"Yeah, kid. Guess you got yours from me."
Aria crosses her arms, scowling harder.
"You left Mama," she accuses, fierce and unafraid.
I blink.
Then I laugh—raw, broken.
"Yeah," I say. "I did."
Her little chin wobbles, but she holds my stare like a damn warrior.
"You gonna leave again?"
I look at her.
At Joren.
At Kelli.
And something inside me locks into place.
Unbreakable.
Unshakeable.
"Never," I swear.
Their eyes flicker.
Hope, raw and dangerous, sparks between us.
Somehow, I don’t feel hollow anymore.
I feel full.
Full of rage.
Full of love.
Full of a purpose I thought I buried long ago.
My family.
And hell itself’s gonna bleed before I let anyone take them from me again.
I stay there, kneeling.
Not because I’m too hurt to stand.
Not because of the blood soaking my side.
But because looking up at them—at her—feels right.
