Kendrick
The moment I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it, exhaling a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
She was back. Kimberly was finally back under my roof, back where I could see her, protect her—love her.
But something about her had changed. The fire in her eyes had dimmed, not extinguished, but… flickering.
She hadn’t argued with me the way she used to. She hadn’t cursed or tried to claw her way out. That terrified me more than her rage ever did.
Rage meant she still had fight left in her.
Silence?
That was dangerous. Silence meant surrender. Or worse—planning.
I pushed off the door and walked down the hall toward my study, my boots echoing softly against the marble floors.
My thoughts swirled like a storm in my head. The image of her curled up on that c
