Roccos Pov 17 Better -

I was wrong. This wasn't a liability. It was the only thing that made the darkness worth living in.

She was quiet for a long moment. The diner hummed around us—the fridge, the fryer, the low murmur of a drunk at the counter. Outside, a car splashed through a puddle. Inside, she reached across the table and very carefully, very gently, uncurled my fingers from around the cup. One by one. Like she was defusing a bomb. roccos pov 17 better