There he stayed, just as she remembered. Rhett hadn't moved an inch since she walked away.
A shape frozen in place. Not even a breath seemed to stir him. There he remained, rooted in the open space, as if shaped by sorrow and regret. His gaze stayed locked downward, two shadowed pools unblinking.
A quiet ache spread into Sage, unblocked. Nothing held back. Raw pieces of feeling moved along the link - shame that clung like smoke, terror at having ruined something precious, a thin thread of wishing she might still look at him without disgust.
Footsteps slowed. Ten paces out, Sage stood still.
"Look at me," she said.
Rhett raised his gaze slowly, meeting what stood ahead without a word.
"Tell me something," Sage said. "If Yara calls the debt. If you have to leave. How long?"
"Pack law allows the wronged family to set the terms. Usually five to ten years. Sometimes longer."
"Ten years."
"At most."
"And after ten years? You're free?"
