Ally's POV

　　I note the subtle clench of his jaw, a silent vow against the tyranny of his twin's shadow.

　　"Never again, Ally," he says, reading my thoughts as though they were etched into the marble beneath our feet. "You will never have to endure such suffering."

　　I believe him. Every word, every look, every unspoken pledge hanging between us in the charged air. For in his presence, the scars of the past do not ache with regret but heal with the salve ...