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No sister.
No questions.
No Veyr.
Ghost continued.
Eight years of absence remained undisturbed.
My life stayed buried exactly where I had left it.
A month ago, perhaps even a week ago, that would have sounded like mercy.
Now I heard what it was.
Permission.
Permission to remain dead.
My gaze moved toward Talia.
She still faced her own terminal.
I could see only part of her profile.
She had given me nothing since our argument that I had not earned one small piece at a time.
No reassurance.
No promise.
No indication that fixing this would return anything between us.
It needed to stay that way.
I looked back at the black screen.
“What happens to Talia?”
A pause.
“The target will be processed under revised security protocol.”
Not good enough.
“What happens to her?”
“You are aware that this matter exceeds your clearance.”
“I am asking whether she lives.”
Silence.
The answer was in it.
I felt something cold settle through me.
Not surprise.
