"Liam. Logan."
Leonard’s voice cut through the room—not with the iron command of a general, but with the quiet weight of a father who expected to be obeyed.
"I want you to investigate the Reyes couple. Their background. And more importantly—why they suddenly left the south for the capital."
The air shifted.
Liam didn’t answer imdiately. His jaw tightened, gaze lowering just enough to hide the conflict flickering in his eyes.
If he took this on... he’d have to leave Isla.
And Alia.
That thought lingered longer than it should have. Longer than he wanted to admit.
His fingers curled slightly at his side. He kept his expression neutral, but his thoughts were anything but conflicting.
If he left...
Isla would feel different.
Alia would feel farther.
And that man—
That foreign archaeologist who had been appearing more and more often at her side, speaking to her like they shared a world Liam couldn’t enter.
The image alone soured sothing in his chest.
Would Liam lose whatever fragile ground he’d gained with her?
"Dad," Liam said at last, steady but asured, "I can handle the investigation from here. Logan should go south and follow the leads directly."
His eyes shifted to his younger brother.
Logan’s head snapped toward him.
What?
That wasn’t like Liam.
Not even close.
Logan opened his mouth, instinctively ready to argue—but the mont he t Liam’s eyes, the protest died before it could take shape.
Logan swallowed.
What the hell was that about? Normally, Liam would’ve taken the mission without hesitation.
"If necessary, I’ll go," Liam added smoothly, as if offering a concession.
Then, more deliberately—
"But Logan is the better choice."
Logan frowned faintly.
"Lara trusted him first," Liam continued. "Even in the hospital, he treated her like family."
That word lingered.
Logan blinked, caught off guard.
"He has a higher EQ," Liam went on. "If there’s anything emotional tied to her disappearance, he’s the one who’ll pick up on it."
Leonard studied both of them for a long mont before exhaling and taking his seat behind the table.
"Alright," he said finally. "I’ll arrange for Logan’s deploynt. You leave in two days."
Logan nodded, resolve settling in.
He would find the truth.
About Lara. About everything that happened back then.
The four n turned to leave—until Lucas’s phone rang, slicing through the mont.
All eyes shifted to him.
"It’s Layla," he said after glancing at the screen. "We’re done here. Be there in ten."
...
Outside, warm light spilled from the front of their modular house.
Layla and Sumr had transford the small space into sothing unexpectedly inviting. A foldable plastic table stood at the center, covered with a neatly draped cloth that softened its cheap edges. Matching plastic chairs surrounded it, but the effort showed—carefully arranged dishes, simple but thoughtful plating, and a pair of scented candles flickering gently in the evening breeze.
It felt... like ho.
"Dad! You’re finally here!" Layla called, her smile bright and genuine. "I thought we’d have to reheat everything."
Leonard’s eyes swept over the table, a hint of surprise breaking through his usual composure.
"You made all this?"
Layla bead. "Yes! Well... it’s only my third ti cooking, so please lower your expectations a little." She laughed, a touch of nervousness slipping through.
"The dessert was mine," Sumr added quickly, stepping forward.
She moved straight to Liam’s side—too close.
"This is your favorite," she said, lightly touching his arm. "Mango delight."
Liam stiffened.
The scent hit him first—roses, soft but unmistakable. Then the proximity. Too close. Close enough that if he turned his head even slightly...
He didn’t.
Instead. his body reacted before his thoughts did. He pulled out a chair for her, stepping slightly aside to create space.
"Thank you," Sumr said, smiling as she sat, clearly pleased.
A practiced gesture.
But this ti, it wasn’t courtesy driving him.
It was escape. To keep the distance.
"Thank you," Sumr said, smiling as she sat, clearly pleased.
Liam remained standing for a second too long.
A thought—sharp and unwelco—cut through his mind.
Alia.
He searched his mory.
Once. Just once.
Had he ever done that for her?
Nothing ca.
Because she never waited.
Alia always moved on her own—pulling her own chair, sitting without ceremony, never asking, never expecting.
Alia would just sit down on her own, casual, unbothered, as if she didn’t need anyone to do things for her.
And then it clicked.
And suddenly, the pattern beca painfully clear.
Every ti they shared a al, Layla or Sumr had been there.
And every ti...he chose them first.
By the ti he turned to her, Alia was already seated.
Already... overlooked.
Sothing tightened painfully in his chest.
A quiet, unwelco realization settling in.
Sothing unfamiliar, uncomfortable and wrong.
Had he made her feel like she didn’t matter?
...
"Liam?"
The voice wasn’t in front of him. It was behind.
Soft, familiar and very gentle.
His head turned instinctively.
And there she was.
Alia stood just a few steps away, a small container in her hands. Her hair was slightly wind-tousled, her expression calm—but her eyes flickered briefly toward the table.
Toward Sumr, then to the others, and then back to him.
"I... brought sothing," she said, lifting the container slightly. "Grandpa and are staying in this sector in the next two days. He cooked and told to bring so to General Norse."
Liam was disappointed when he learned it wasn’t for him.
"Perfect timing, Amy." Logan butted in happily as he took the food container from Alia. "We are just about to eat. By the way have you eaten?"
"I am done, eating." She replied.
It was simple and casual.
But there was a hesitation there.
Barely noticeable.
Unless you were looking for it.
And now—
Liam was.
Before he could respond, another voice followed.
"Ah, you ca here by yourself."
The archaeologist stepped into view behind her, relaxed, familiar—too familiar.
"Why did you not ask to accompany you?" he said lightly.
Liam felt sothing sharp twist in his chest.
Like sothing quietly staking its claim.
Logan, standing off to the side, noticed.
And for the first ti that night—
He understood.
Liam wasn’t avoiding a mission.
He was avoiding losing sothing he hadn’t even realized he wanted yet.
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