THIRD POV
Faye was the first to break the silence.
Not because she had everything figured out.
But because she couldn’t sit there any longer and let decisions about her life keep moving around her without her voice being part of it.
“No.”
The word came out quiet at first, but steady enough to pull both their attention back to her.
She shifted slightly in her seat, her hands coming together in her lap—not in weakness, not in fear, but in grounding. She needed to stay clear-headed. Needed to think, not just react.
“I’m not okay with that,” she added.
Helen watched her carefully.
“With what part?” she asked.
Faye let out a small breath, her gaze lifting fully to meet hers.
“With you dying for me,” she said plainly.
There was no hesitation in it.
No attempt to soften the statement
