CHAPTER QUOTE
"Even shadows have stories — and the brave let the light in."
Three weeks later…
The world hadn't slowed down for Nina. It just moved differently now.
Mornings weren't as heavy. Her laughter with Kellan no longer carried the ache of something missing. She was learning — not to forget, but to breathe. Her father's return, the truth about Leo, the echo of betrayal from her mother… they hadn't vanished. But they weren't the whole of her anymore.
Now, there was Kellan.
He sat quietly on the edge of her bed, running a thumb along the inside of his wrist. The faded "TS" tattoo with the inscribed date was exposed beneath the light cotton of his rolled-up sleeve. It was the first morning she noticed how he lingered on it.
Nina sat up beside him. "You always look at it like it still hurts."
Kellan's eyes didn't flinch. "That's because… sometimes it still does."
She didn't speak. Her silence was a soft invitation. And Kellan — this time — didn't hide.
"You once said you didn't want any more lies around you," he whispered. "I don't want to be one."
He turned to her fully, his face calm, honest. "The tattoo — T.S. — it stands for Talia Soren. She was my fiancée. We were engaged. That date?" He tapped the faded numbers. "It's the day she died."
Nina's breath caught, but her heart didn't collapse. She didn't run. She stayed.
"I met her when I was younger, before I traveled, before I ever imagined meeting you. She had a terminal condition — never told anyone until it was too late. I lost her six months before I met you. But… Nina, when I met you, I wasn't looking for someone to replace her. I didn't think I could ever love again."
He placed her hand over his heart.
"But you made my heart feel again — in ways I didn't think were possible. And I know it's too soon, or maybe it's exactly the right time, but I want to be honest with you. No more shadows."
Nina looked at him, steady. Her voice was calm. "Thank you for telling me. That's all I ever ask — not perfection, not certainty… just truth."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. The silence between them was no longer hiding pain — it was healing it.
Later that day…
Amara sat in the café, staring at her phone. A message from Leo blinked on her screen:
"Just checking in. Do you think Nina's okay?"
She smiled faintly. "She's stronger than we think," she murmured.
And she was. Nina was walking with Kellan now — through the park, through her new truths, and through the quiet grief of understanding that love can exist even after everything breaks.
– KELLAN's perspective
"She didn't flinch. When I told her about Talia, I thought I'd see fear or judgment or… something that told me I wasn't ready to love again. But all I saw was Nina. Steady. Kind. Honest. Maybe that's what love really is. Not just the excitement or the fire — but the quiet strength that says: 'I'm not going anywhere.' And for the first time in a long time, I felt relieved and I believe I deserve this"
FADES OUT