A long moment passed before he pushed back from the table. “Yes.”
She had expected that response, but the pang of hurt that lanced through her took her by surprise.
She sucked in a sharp breath and pressed a hand against her heart. “I’m sorry, Ryker.”
More apologies rose to the tip of her tongue.
Sorry for breaking us.
Sorry for ruining what we had.
Sorry for taking you away from your family.
Sorry that your sister killed mine.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Brynleigh had so many apologies that they all jammed up in her mouth. Words weren’t enough to fix this—to fix them—and she couldn’t decide which ones took precedence over the others.
Ultimately, she shook her head and repeated, “I’m so sorry.”
Ryker stared at her for a long moment before dipping his chin. “Me, too.”
Her unspoken words were so heavy that she couldn’t breathe or think. She just watched him.
He strode past her into the kitchen and grabbed a glass bottle above the fridge. He took out a cup, pouring himself a generous serving of dark amber liquid before tossing it back.
When the glass was empty, he looked up at her.
“We’re leaving as soon as the sun sets in an hour.” He placed the cup on the counter. “It would be best if you took this time to prepare yourself.”
His voice left no room for discussion, let alone apologies.
Biting her lip, Brynleigh hung her head and retreated to the bedroom.
She had one hour to figure out what the hell she would say to Jelisette.
It turnedout that an hour wasn’t enough time. When the sundipped below the horizon, Brynleigh was no closer to knowing what to say. She had dozens of questions but not a single answer.
She’d spent the hour getting dressed and braiding her hair, hoping the repetitive movements would help calm her down.
They did not.
She’d finished a few minutes ago. Now she sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the hem of the maroon sweater she’d pulled from her suitcase.
A knock came on the door.
“Ready?” Ryker asked.
Brynleigh stared at the door. How could she be ready for this? She was almost certainly walking to her death.
However, Ryker had already made it clear this was their only path. Arguing would get her nowhere.
She had gotten out of prison. She’d slept in a real bed. She’d taken a hot shower. If this was her time to die, she would go to her death with dignity.
Brynleigh rose to her feet and walked to the door.
With this barrier between them, she could pretend everything was still okay. She could pretend they were still speaking through headphones in the Hall of Choice. She could pretend that everything wasn’t destroyed.