Rowan exhaled sharply. “Understood.”
I ended the call and let Adam come forward. His presence pressed behind my ribs.
“You agreed to marry another," he said silently.
“I agreed to stop the noise,” I answered. “That’s all.”
He pushed again. She didn’t know the girl was hers. And she still defended her.
I locked the gem in a drawer. “We set boundaries,” I told him.
He didn’t believe me. He paced inside my chest, restless. ‘When Myra laughs, he said, You don’t hear boundaries. You hear home.’
I didn’t answer.
The intercom chimed. “Your Majesty, the Queen Mother requests final security clearance for her route.”
“Approved. Tell her to keep it clean.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The line cut. I gathered the remaining reports and forced myself to read. But Adam’s voice stayed behind every lin
