Varik stands in the half-lit depot garage, fury simmering just beneath his controlled movements. His jaw is rigid, black hair damp from the drizzle outside, work shirt rumpled and sleeves rolled up over tense forearms. His eyes, midnight-dark and restless, track Solenne as she steps in, her curls a little wild, navy uniform jacket too big on her thin frame. She clutches her notepad—fingers trembling, barely hiding it. The echo of distant bus engines is a low, throbbing background noise, almost drowned out by the pounding in both their chests.

She doesn’t say his name, just looks at him—eyes glassy, cheeks burning. “Did you ever love me, Varik? Or just the idea of keeping me?” Her voice cracks around the question, so quiet it might be mistaken for a confession.

He advances, slow but desperate, breath quickening. “You know I did. I still—” He stops himself, lips drawn back as if words could wound, and for a moment they just stand there, the ache stretching out between them. He watches the trembling of her hand, the way she ducks her head, lashes shining with unshed tears.

Before either can decide on retreat, Solenne flings the notepad at his chest. “You broke me,” she whispers. “You let me believe I was the one who ruined us.”

Varik catches the notebook, brush of her fingertips grazing his. The touch is electric, a pulse of everything unresolved. He drops it, steps in close, and in a single, jagged motion, presses her back against the cold metal of the empty bus behind her. His voice is hoarse. “I never stopped loving you. I would do anything to keep you with me. Anything.”

Solenne’s breathing is ragged, pulse fluttering visibly in her neck. Her hands clench hard in his shirt, bunching the fabric over his heart. “That’s not love, Varik. That’s—” Her words dissolve as he kisses her—rough and searching, all pain and longing spilling out at once. She answers him with equal force, biting his lower lip, tasting salt and tears and rain. His hand fists in her hair, her leg hooks around his hip, the kiss turning wild, bruised with everything they’ve avoided for months.

Suddenly a voice cracks through the tension—“You don’t get to decide for her, Varik.” Breslan steps from the shadows, his broad shoulders taut beneath a grease-stained polo, blue eyes stormy. Jyndra hovers beside him, lips painted crimson and bitten half-raw, arms folded tight across her chest. For once she looks small, uncertain, a flicker of something unguarded in her gaze.

Solenne unspools herself from Varik, breathless and flushed, one hand hovering protectively at her throat. She meets Breslan’s eyes, guilt and yearning fighting for space on her face. “He’s right. You all are.” Her voice is steadier now, her body trembling with adrenaline. “We keep pretending there’s one villain here, but we’re all bleeding each other dry.”

Jyndra’s mask finally slips. “Maybe I wanted to see if anyone cared enough to stop me.” Her mascara is smudged, voice rough with shame. Breslan reaches for her—tentative, like she might shatter. She leans into his touch, almost collapsing, and he pulls her close, his palm gentle at the nape of her neck.

For a breathless half-minute, no one speaks. The only sound is the shudder of their breathing, the distant echo of footsteps on tile.

Then the screech of an alarm slices through the silence. Red lights begin spinning, shadows shifting across their stunned faces. An announcement blares—“Evacuate immediately. Hazard in maintenance bay. Repeat—evacuate immediately.”

Panic floods the space. Solenne catches Varik’s sleeve, eyes wide, terror blanching her skin. Breslan tugs Jyndra toward the exit, her fingers laced tight with his. Just as the four burst out of the garage, a crash erupts behind them—metal buckling, glass pulverizing. Solenne stumbles, Varik catching her just before she hits the slick concrete, his arms anchoring her as the world careens out of control.

In the chaos—sirens, shouting, the bitter sting of smoke—one of them is missing. Jyndra turns, face draining of blood. “Where’s Breslan?”

Solenne’s heart seems to stop. Varik’s grip tightens, his eyes wild with dread.

Somewhere behind the choking clouds and twisted steel, Breslan is gone.

To be continued...