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.

narrow cracks,

fingers, trying to shake

Erike moved first.

a word, he stepped forward and shut the window, sealing out the

just as the last breath of frigid air slipped through, his

that it was for

I stilled.

the words didn't

Then, realization dawned.

was echoing Pax's words."What are

was no

Only quiet hesitation.

the tips of his ears

together, his usually

Expectation.

A quiet, unspoken hope.

I ever felt something for

Maybe.

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

proximity were just that—a passing warmth, not