ASHER:
Not much time for what?
My brows furrowed. My grip on the doorknob loosened. His voice… that tone — it cracked something in me. I swallowed hard, hating how fast the fear crept in. Hating that I still cared enough to feel it.
"What do you mean? Is something wrong?" I asked, my voice quieter than I'd meant it to be. Is he going to disappear on me again?
Malcolm exhaled slowly, stepping closer. My instincts screamed at me to back away, to put distance between us — but my body didn't move. Like my feet had been nailed to the floor.
"I have twelve days left," he said.
I blinked. Confused. Lost. "Twelve days for what?"
"Twelve days to prepare myself before my marriage to Isabelle."
It felt like the floor caved in beneath me. My heart clenched so tightly it was hard to breathe. But I fought to keep my face neutral, to hold it all in.
"What has that got to do with me?" The words came out harsher than I intended. My voice didn't sound like mine.
