Ace stares into Kieran's eyes, his lips parting, ready to say it, to throw out the accusation that has been gnawing at him.
But the moment their eyes meet, the words die in his throat.
Kieran's gaze isn't just honest, it's raw. There's no flicker of deception, no trace of guilt. Instead, there's pain. Real pain. A deep, unspoken wound carved into his expression, etched into every tense line of his face.
Ace looks away, his thoughts spiraling. He hadn't thought it through before, but now the pieces shift in his mind.
Kieran was asleep when I came in. Fully dressed. Not even his coat was off him. Could it be… could it be that Lucy faked everything?
The realization makes his stomach twist uncomfortably.
"I don't know what you want me to do to earn some trust from you," Kieran says, his voice strained, heavy with exhaustion. "So that, at the very least, you can doubt everything else about me, but not this way. At least don't think I could ever betray you like that, Ace."
