Chapter 21

Leona’s POV The rain hadn’t stopped. It drummed against my skin, soaked into my clothes, threaded itself into my lungs until every breath felt heavy. I was still standing there—still trembling from the kiss, from the way Atwood’s hands had lingered a second too long—when I felt the shift. Atwood’s body stiffened. His gaze slid past my shoulder. I followed it. Ariel stood a few meters away, unmoving in the rain, his shoulders slumped as if something vital had been pulled out of him and left behind. Water streamed down his hair, his lashes, the line of his jaw, but he didn’t wipe it away. He didn’t even seem to notice. For a moment, the world narrowed to the space between us. And then I understood. Before I could speak, Atwood turned fully toward his brother. “You saw it,” he said, his voice sharp with triumph, reckless and cruel in a way I had never heard before. “She kissed me first. Back then—and now.” The words hit me like a slap. I stared at him, disbelief burning into anger so fast