Page 221 of His Reckoning

Her breath catches slightly.

“But that doesn’t mean you were wrong.”

Her eyes search my face, like she’s trying to figure out if this is real.

If I’m serious.

“If anything,” I add, my voice lowering, “you were the first person who got it right.”

Her lips part slightly.

“I didn’t write your story,” she says again, quieter now.

“I know.”

“I changed everything that could?—”

“I know that too.”

She hesitates. “You still felt exposed.”

I nod once. “Because I wasn’t ready for someone to see me like that.”

The words sit between us.

“I’ve spent years making sure no one does.”

Her expression softens just a little.

“But you did,” I say. “And instead of running, you stayed.”

Her throat works as she swallows. “That doesn’t change the fact that I should’ve told you.”

A small breath of a laugh leaves me. “There it is.”

She blinks. “What?”

“The part where you’re going to keep taking the blame, even when it’s not all yours.”

Her brows knit together. “I’m not?—”

“You are.” I step closer again, closing the distance this time. “Kayla, if you want to be stubborn about it, fine.”

Her lips press together as she fights a reaction.

“You should’ve told me,” I admit.

That lands because it matters and it’s true.

“But that doesn’t change what you wrote,” I continue. “Or what it meant.”

Her voice is softer now. “What did it mean?”

I hold her gaze. “Everything.”

The word hangs there.

“You didn’t write something that exposed me,” I say. “You wrote something that understood me.”