Page 174 of His Reckoning

She sits there, processing that.

“You went to his funeral?” she says slowly.

“Yeah.”

“And everyone thought he was a good man?” she whispers.

The memory hits like a punch.

“Yeah.” My voice is quieter now. “That was the worst part.”

Kayla watches me carefully. “Why?”

I stare at the floor again.

“Because I stood there, listening to everyone talk about what a great man he was.” The words come out rough. “And I knewthe truth had died with him. Cole always had an inkling that something happened, but I’ve dodged all his questions. I knew he’d tell our dad.”

The room is completely silent now.

Kayla moves closer slowly, then wraps her arms around me. For a second, I freeze, and then I let myself lean into her.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers.

I let out a long breath. “Yeah.”

Her voice softens. “You didn’t deserve any of that.”

I shake my head slightly. “That’s not the part that stayed with me.”

“What is?”

I look down at her. “The part where I realized the only way out was to never need anyone again.”

Kayla studies my face. “And how has that worked out for you?”

A quiet laugh escapes me. “Pretty well.”

Her fingers slide up into my hair. “Except for the part where you sleep in the same bed as me every night.”

I huff a quiet breath. “Except for that.”

Kayla tilts her head slightly. “Sawyer?”

“Yeah?”

“You survived him.”

The words hit harder than I’d have expected.

She holds my gaze steadily. “That’s not weakness.”

For a long moment, neither of us says anything.

I exhale slowly. For the first time in years, the past feels a little less heavy.

Kayla’s arms wrap around me before I even realize I’ve gone quiet.

For a second, my body locks up automatically. Old instincts that tell me not to let anyone close. But the fight drains out of me faster than usual tonight.