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Sam’s face softened. “Do you know who he is?”

My mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

Mandi went still. “Liv.”

“He knew,” I said, because starting at the beginning felt impossible. “He knew before I did.” My throat burned. “He knew while he stood right in front of me. He let me want him.” My laugh came out thin, ugly, wrong. “He let me mourn him. How insane is that?”

Mandi sat across from me. Her usual spark dimmed into something careful. She slid me a boba cup—hers, I guessed. “That part is fucked.”

“Thank you.” I wrapped both palms around the cup. Ice knocked against plastic, and the cold bit into my skin. My body wanted to run, crawl back, scream, sleep, bite him, slap him, kiss the scar under his lip until he made that ruined sound again.

“He took the mask off,” I said.

Mandi leaned forward before she could stop herself. “The mask?”

Sam’s head lifted.

The room changed before the truth landed.

“The man from your apartment?” Sam asked.

I nodded once.

“The assassin,” Mandi said, voice dropping into a whisper with all the drama of a woman who loved me and also deserved popcorn rights after surviving my life. “The shadow guy. The masked one. The one who broke in and left notes and scared the hell out of you while also making you act . . . weirdly horny and defensive.”

“Mandi,” Sam warned.

“What?”

My laugh broke apart before it had a chance to live.

Sam’s hand found mine. “The assassin is your mate?”

I stared, trying to find the right words to explain this, because I knew it sounded insane.

Sam’s face went pale. “Liv?”

“The city thinks the assassin works for Lux.”

Mandi lowered her hands. “What does that mean? Is he a spy?”

I stared at the table because if I saw their faces, I would lose the last thin strip of sanity holding me together. Syrup had dried near the napkin holder in a sticky amber smear. Someone had carved a tiny heart into the edge of the table months ago. “No.” I shook my head. “He is Lux.”

Silence dropped hard.

Sam’s hand slid out of mine.

Mandi’s mouth fell open.

“Lux,” she repeated.

I nodded once.

“Lux Draven.”

“Yep.”