Chapter 38

Liv’s POV I sat on the edge of the plush sofa in Kaelon’s private room, feeling the weight of the situation press down on me. My heart was still racing from the tension earlier, and the lingering heat of our passionate moment made it even harder to focus. As the sound of Kaelon’s voice slowly faded into the distance, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the excuse he’d given for me needing "rest." It wasn’t that I was ashamed of the time we’d shared—far from it. But hearing the words he’d used, the way he’d dismissed everything so effortlessly, made me feel exposed in a way I wasn’t entirely comfortable with. I shook the feeling off. There was no time to dwell on it. I had to leave. Kaelon had told me to wait, to stay put, but I could feel the pull of the outside world tugging at me. I stood up, running my hands over my clothes to smooth them out, trying to pretend that nothing unusual had happened. In the process, I gathered my things and headed toward the door. Just as I reached f