After the storm of emotions had quieted and the last wave of sobs had faded into silence, Kaius lay down on the bed, gently pulling Raya with him, letting her settle against his chest where his heartbeat pulsed steadily beneath her ear, as if offering her the rhythm of something stable after everything that had collapsed.
His arms wrapped around her securely, protectively, like she might drift away if he didn’t hold her tightly enough, and her breath was still uneven, a residual echo of all that pain that had finally spilled out, but slowly, with each passing moment, he felt her body soften against him, the trembling easing as exhaustion crept in like a heavy fog after a night of storms.
The silence stretched between them, thick and full, but it wasn’t the kind that demanded to be fille
