She Was Supposed to Stay Broken, So I Let Her Think She Had novel · Chapter 21 of 40

Chapter 21: No Answer He Can Use

'Are they well?' Kael asks, and I refuse to answer him.

Amber gathers around his head. The thought beneath his question is already coming through, but I reach for one part of it and hold it still.

The kettle clicks on the stove. The market bell gives a small ring as a customer leaves. Dov's fingers rest on the order book. Then every sound stops.

Kael's thought hangs in full color, clear as print: If she gives me the locket, I can take it to Maren before Lirien does.

I keep the sentence. I let the rest of his thoughts go, then release the amber. The kettle clicks again. Dov's fingers shift against the book.

Kael has stayed on the shop side of the threshold. Dov stands between him and the back room, but she is not blocking his way. The locket is closed in his hand, its chain looped around his fingers.

I came out on my own terms. I keep them.

The customer carries a paper parcel under one arm and nods to Dov on the way out. The ordinary exchange makes Kael's stillness more noticeable. He has brought the locket here and wants me to make its next step easier.

'I need to know the children are safe,' he says.

I know they are. They are safe with Dov, and safe from the answer Kael wants to take away with him. He is still the man who asked me to sign away their claim at the gate.

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