After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage By Cassila K

Chapter 81

Pax Brown came as suddenly as he left.

One moment, he was here-his presence unsettling the entire lab, turning heads, lowering voices into hushed whispers.

The next, he was gone.

No explanations. No drawn-out goodbyes.

The others didn't understand.

I let out a slow breath, feeling the weight lift from my chest.

Beside me, Erike lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes trembling ever so slightly.

But his expression remained unreadable.

"So that's him?" he asked, his voice quiet. "The ex-boyfriend who pretended to be poor?"

I nodded.

Outside, winter had settled in fully.

Thick snowflakes drifted past the frosted windowpanes, blanketing the city in silver and white.

slipping through the narrow cracks, sending an icy chill through the

my fingers, trying

Erike moved first.

a word, he stepped forward and

last breath of frigid air slipped through, his voice followed-soft,

that

I stilled.

second, the words didn't

Then, realization dawned.

was echoing Pax's words."What

was

Only quiet hesitation.

the tips of his

his usually steady gaze flickering

Expectation.

A quiet, unspoken hope.

I ever felt

Maybe.

had spent countless nights side by side, working until exhaustion blurred the edges of

were just that—a