Chapter One Hundred and Sixty- Seven
The name detonated behind Ahmet's eyes without warning.
It was not loud. It did not need to be. It lodged itself there, ticking, spreading heat where there shouldn't have been any. His gaze flicked back to her before he could stop it, just in time to catch the corner of her mouth lift. Small. Automatic. The kind of smile people didn't think about before wearing.
That was what did it.
It was not the name alone. It was not even the man behind it. It was the way her face softened, the way her shoulders loosened as if something safe had brushed past her ear.
Ahmet's fingers curled slowly at his side.
He stayed where he was. Stayed silent. Stayed still. Even when every instinct screamed otherwise.
