Kaius turned to face her fully now, his expression unreadable, but his eyes burned with something deep, something raw, something that made Raya’s stomach twist into tight knots.
"You got me worried," he finally spoke, his voice smooth but edged with something sharper, something she couldn’t quite place. "Disappearing like that for three days."
Raya's fingers clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms to keep herself grounded.
"I hope it wasn’t anything serious," he added, his gaze searching her face, scanning her as if looking for signs of weakness, for any indication that she was still unwell. "Are you okay?"
She forced herself to nod. "Yes. I’m better."
Kaius’s jaw ticked slightly. "What happened?"
For a split second, she considered lying, throwing out some vague excuse, s
