Sabine tilted her head. “And now?”
“Now I live differently,” Harlan said. “Not because I think she’ll come back. She won’t but because if someone else ever gives me that kind of grace again, I won’t waste it.”
They were quiet for a long moment.
Then Sabine whispered, “I think I want to forgive him.”
The same truth she’d given Narri earlier that day.
“You’re allowed.”
“But I hate how that feels.”
“Like surrender?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Like betrayal. Of myself. Of what I survived.”
Harlan nodded. “Because you made strength your shield and forgiveness feels like putting it down.”
“Exactly, oh my gosh, that’s itexactly.”
“Maybe don’t put it down,” Harlan said. “Maybe loosen your grip, just enough to squeeze him in a little bit. Forgiving him doesn’t mean you forgot what he did. Or that it didn’t hurt. It just means your heart is healing, even if your mind’s still catching up.”
Sabine didn’t speak. She just listened.
All she could think was: how the hell did Adair getNarriand nowHarlanon the same damn page? They were both dragging her, soft and slow, but still. Eating her up with this truth.
But hearing it from Harlan hit different. He didn’t know Adair. Didn’t know her, not really. He wasn’t loyal to either side. He could’ve played dirty, on her feelings and emotions but he didn’t.
And maybe that’s what made it land the way it did.
“You’re not weak for that,” Harlan went on. “That’s strength.Realstrength and maybe, just maybe, he’s supposed to be part of the healing too. Sometimes the person who broke it has to help fix it. Not because they deserve the chance, but because it’s the right thing to do. Foryou.”
Sabine exhaled.
“You don’t owe anyone a final answer tonight. Not even yourself.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“For what?”
“For being…normal. For being kind. For listening. I think I’ve gotten so used to protecting myself that I forgot what this felt like,” she gestured between them, “—just having a real, easy conversation. That’s rare to have with a man these days.”
“I like being human with you,” Harlan said. Not flirtatious. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman in my life I could be like this with. No pressure.”
“You’re a good man, Harlan.”
He nodded once, eyes steady. “I try to be.”
They both paused, letting the weight of the night sit between them. Sabine glanced at her watch and sighed.
“I should probably head out before I start oversharing and crying.”
“Wouldn’t judge you if you did.”
“I know,” she smiled. “That’s the problem.”
They both laughed at that—soft and tired but full of mutual respect. Harlan reached for his wallet.