“It feels good to breathe again,” he responded, and as I turned to look at him, his eyes were locked onto mine. I didn’t know how I could look away.

“You can’t just say something like that,” I teased him softly.

“I thought you wanted answers from me.”

I stared out the window as he continued to drive. “I do.”

Silence passed between us as he turned onto the main street, heading the opposite way from my house. I didn’t ask where we were going.

“Where do you want me to start?” His voice was so calming, so deep and comforting, even in this raw and uncertain moment.

“Well, how many lies were there?”

Kael sighed and the turn signal dinged as he waited at a red light. His eyes were on the road in front of us.

“I didn’t tell you about knowing your dad because when I went there that first week, I had no fucking idea that he was your dad, honest to God, Karina. I didn’t know before we walked in. I didn’t know anything about you. Yeah, I knew he had twins, but I didn’t know you or your brother. I thought you were just Elodie’s friend.”

Kael’s words gave me a hint of reassurance, but didn’t address why he had stayed silent about it for days and weeks after. “You’ve had plenty of time to talk to me and tell me what happened with my dad. But you never did.”

His jaw clenched, but his voice came out even. “At first, I didn’t tell you because you seemed so kind and my history with your dad was really complicated. It seemed easier not to get into all of that. Then we kept hanging out and then I started to—” He stopped as a flash of light illuminated the windshield.

He had swerved into another lane. A horn blared as Kael jerked the wheel to straighten the car and I caught my breath.

“Fuck, sorry.” Kael was looking straight ahead, his hands strangling the steering wheel.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

His chest was moving up and down like he was bursting with adrenaline and fear.

“Let’s just pull over here.” I pointed to a Dollar Tree across the intersection. He parked the car, but kept the ignition on. He switched the music off and turned his body to me.

“Are you okay?” he repeated. I nodded and he sighed, blowing air out of puckered lips.

We sat under the dim parking lot light and looked at each other, barely blinking, before I spoke, breaking the silence.

“Atlanta? Were you really not going to tell me that you bought a house there? You made me look like such an idiot in front of my dad, and you know how shitty that was for me.”