I should have stepped back.
The thought crossed my mind long before Leonhart started moving.
My body ignored it.
Maybe because of the face.
Maybe because of the voice.
Maybe because grief was cruel enough to make me stand there and watch.
Leonhart closed the distance between us slowly, as if he already knew I wasn't going anywhere.
His emerald eyes never left mine.
Neither did mine.
Every step felt wrong.
Not threatening.
Not dangerous.
Wrong.
Because Kael used to walk toward me like that.
Calm.
Confident.
Like he already knew the argument was over before it even started.
The memory made my chest ache.
When he finally stopped in front of me, there was barely any space left between us.
I could hear him breathing.
Could see every familiar feature.
Every detail I had spent months trying not to remember too often.
Then he reached up.
My entire body tensed.
His fingers brushed against my hair.
Gently.
Carefully.
He tucked a loose strand behind my ear.
