YELENA

“Can you… Please let my family be in her life? My parents… and Kira?” His voice cracked at the edges, raw and fragile, and I felt my chest loosen.

Relief washed over me, hot and sudden. I had braced for something impossible again, something heavy and cruel, and instead, it was something I could do.

I nodded, trying to steady my shaking hands. “Sure. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Really?” His eyes widened a bit, gold flecks glinting like sunlight on metal, disbelief ...