In the distance, a figure was retreating into the shadows.

Under the moonlight, that silhouette stood out

familiar, clear, yet so far away.

“Jace, thank you,” I murmured softly, my words carried only by the wind. Without his help, getting close to Mrs. Drago wouldn’t have been so easy. Maybe part of the reason she had agreed so readily was because of him.

Even when he wasn’t visible, even when I had no idea what he was doing, he was always helping me in silence. Maybe this was his way of loving me.

I tilted my head up to the glowing moon, and in that moment, I felt something I hadn’t expected: release.

Release from the ten years of my life tied to Jace.