<b>Chapter </b><b>57 </b>


    The air between us grow hey, like the room itself was holding its breath. I could still hear my own words echoing


    silence, that stupid, careless


    Niki’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening as he stated downs at theptop screen. “I do have many memories,” he said slowly, his voice t. “But unlike vou, T’d much rather forget the


    I swallowed, the lump in my throat thick and heavy. Right. His eldetic memory. He didn’t just remember things. He relived them. Wasn’t that how it worked couldn’t imagine it. Wanting to forget something, but being forced to remember everything Every word. Every detail. Every second


    “Nika, Ididn’t mean


    it’s fine,” he said, cutting me off. But his eyes were distant now,


    stating somewhere over my shoulder like he was looking straight through me


    And then, to my utter surprise, he kept talking, “When I was a kid,” he began, his voice low and rough, “my mother used to tell me stories. Mostly when she was drunk. And she was drunk a lot. She’d tell me how she used to be in love once. <b>Real </b>love. With some guy who ran a shady little business.”


    my skin.


    I stayed quit my pulsa thrumming under m


    “Her parents didn’t approve,” he went on, his gaze still fixed on some faraway point. “They wanted her to marry rich. Marry up. They arranged for her to marry my father, Andrey Vetrov. But she didn’t want to. Not at first. She begged the guy she <b>was </b>in love with to do something to take a stand for her. To tell her parents to go to hell and that he’d take care of her.”


    Nikspurted, his teeth shing in a bitter, humorless smile. “And you know what he did? He told her to go marry Andrey. Told her to be a good girl


    kather parents wanted. Said he wasn’t ready to settle down with a woman who needed so much attention.”


    My heart sank, a cold, heavy weight pressing down.


    “So she did,” he said, his <b>jaw </b>tightening. <b>“</b>She married Andrey. And a few monthster, she got <b>pregnant</b>. Had ine. At first, she tried to be a good mother. For a while, she was. She smiled a lot. Read me bedtime stories. Took me to the park. For the first five years, she was… almost happy. Those were my happiest memories with her. But then<b>, </b>one day, she heard that her first <b>love </b><b>had </b>found someone. Settled down. Started a family,”


    He let out a dry, hollowugh. “Aher that, she was never the same. She drank more. Yelled more. My father started cheating more. And I… His eyes finally mut mine. “I was the reminder of the man she couldn’t have


    A knot twisted in my stomach. My chest ached as watched him, this man who had everything in the eyes of other people, but was still a little boy lost in


    memary he <b>couldn’t </b>forget


    “I don’t me my mother,” he said, voice rough “I get it. Back then, women didn’t have much of a choice. Her parents would’ve forced her into <b>that </b>manage either way But that man?” His <b>eyes </b>shed. “That coward who told her to go marry <b>a </b>monster? The man who let her drown in a life she didn’t wand? Yeah. Him, I me.”


    There was a fine in his eyes now. A dark, ugly, simmering rage. One that burned so hot, I felt its heat from across the table.


    “Niko,” I said softly, not even knowing what I was going to say, I wanted tofort him. Say that it was okay. Even though it truly wasn’t. But he shook his head, the tension supping as he pulled himself back together.


    Forget,” he said, closing theptop with a soft click. “We should get


    I get <b>back </b>to work.”


    I wasted to say something Anything But what was there to say? What could possibly fix that kind of hurt?


    For the next twenty minutes, we worked in silence, I dictated the changes, and Miki typed. I tried to <b>focus </b>on the presentation, on the edits, on the graphics. But my mind kept drifting back to that little boy who just wanted to be loved by a mother who <b>was </b><b>too </b>broken to love him.


    By the time we were done, only three minutes remained before ss started. Niki stood up first, slinging theptop bag over his shoulder. I rose to my feet, and the silence stretched between us like a taut wire


    Chapter ST


    “Nik “I said, my voice small.


    “He” he said, his expression softening


    1 swallowed hard, forcing myell to hold the gaze. Your resentment and anger… it’s valid. And you didn’t deserve what happened to <i>you</i>. No child deserves that. But know can’t change the past. What I can do is listen. If you ever need someone to talk to, someone to… just let it all out with… I’m


    He just stared at me. for a long agonizing moment. Then, slowly, he smiled. A soft, crooked smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.


    ou’d let me have a meltdown in front of you?” he said, his tone teasing.


    ushed” mean..yeah Of course. If you need it


    “Hmph,” he said, looking away as he chuckled, his shoulders rxing just <b>a </b>little<ol><li>de. “Alright</li></ol>


    t then. Good to know.”


    Before could process what that meant, he leaned down and pressed a quick, warm kiss to my temple, his lips lingering just a second longer than


    “Let’s go,” he said, slipping his arm around my shoulders as he guided me toward the ssroom,


    The presentation wit…better than I’d expected. Way better. Niki didn’t just click through the slides. He actually interacted with me, nodding along. encouraging me, even chiming in at one point when the professor asked <b>a </b>question about the engine design. Something that I had already answered before, so Niki just reiterated that.


    By the time it was over, my chest was filed with this ridiculous, effervescent warmth. Pride. Relief Joy. And all of it aimed directly at Niki, who was standing beside me, his eyes glowing with that same warmth.


    “You did amazing,” he said as we stepped out of the <b>ssroom</b>, his hand lingering at the small of my back.


    “Thanks,” I said, cheeks burning. “Couldn’t have done it without you.”


    “You would’ve figured it out,” he <b>said</b>, voice low. “You always do.”


    I ducked my head, a smile spreading across my lips as we walked toward the exit. The hallway was mostly empty, lockers, scrolling through their phones.


    “So, Niki said, ncing down at me “Want to go celebrate? Maybe get lunch at-


    “Elera<b>?</b><b>” </b>


    only a few students lingering by the


    The voice chord down the hall, freezing me in ce.


    My blood turned to ide


    I knew that volte.