Rhys woke up in a hotel room in the city, sunlight streaming through the windows.
Real sunlight. Warm and golden and alive.
He lay there for a moment, just feeling it on his skin. Proof he was free. Proof he was real.
Liam was already awake, sitting by the window with coffee. "Morning. How do you feel?"
"Different." Rhys sat up. "Lighter. Like something was lifted off my chest."
"The curse is broken. You're free of it."
"Am I?" Rhys looked at his hands. "I still remember everything. Elara's memories. The past lives. Pryce..."
"Memory isn't the same as being trapped." Liam brought him coffee. "You can remember and still move forward. That's called healing."
Rhys sipped the coffee—real, hot, bitter in the best way. "What do we do now?"
"Whatever you want. Take time to process. Get therapy probably—and I mean that kindly. This was thirty days of concentrated trauma." Liam sat on the edge of the bed. "And when you're ready, we figure out what this is between us. If it's just Cassian and Elara's souls recognizing each other, or if it's actually us."
"What if it's the past life thing?"
"Then we'll deal with it. But Rhys?" Liam smiled. "I don't think it is. I think I'm just a guy who fell for another guy while trying to help him escape a nightmare. No magic required."
Rhys felt something warm in his chest. Hope, maybe. Or possibility.
"I'm not ready for a relationship yet," he said honestly. "I need time to figure out who I am without the curse hanging over me."
"That's fair. I can wait." Liam stood. "In the meantime, I've got legal work to do on the estate. Which means I'll be around, if you need me. No pressure. Just... available."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being human." Rhys's voice caught. "For being warm and real and alive. For reminding me what normal feels like."
Liam squeezed his shoulder. "Anytime."