Lina's POV
Adrian was gone for two weeks.
He didn't go completely silent, but messages came sporadically—every three to five days, brief and impersonal.
*All good. Don't worry.*
Then: *Still alive. Don't worry.*
By the time Jasper's arm had fully healed, Adrian still hadn't returned.
I was collecting things to bring to the hospital—his favorite books, the cologne that smelled like pine and musk, small comforts he wouldn't be able to use but I needed to gather anyway.
Jasper waited for me outside my apartment in Crestview, leaning against his car, his face half-shadowed by the streetlights.
"Planning to ship all that to Africa?" His voice was knife-cold. "He can't use any of it where he is."
I clenched my fists. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Stop
