Reyna’s POV

My chest felt so tight, I thought I would choke on the air itself. The silence between us stretched long and heavy, broken only by the sound of my shaky breaths. Nicholas stood near the bed, his face hard as stone, but his eyes… his eyes were different now. Not the burning rage from moments ago, but something softer, searching.

He still held one of the photographs in his hand, the paper bent where his fist had crumpled it.

“I…” His voice came low, rough, as if the words ...