Page 41 of Saving Saul

"Find the truth," she told her.

And then—she was gone.

No footsteps. No fading presence. Just... gone.

* * *

Finally, outside the club with my girl’s hand in mine, I exhale sharply, dragging a hand down my face.

My body still thrums with adrenaline, my mind spinning like a wheel that won’t stop turning. Although the interaction lasted no more than a minute, it felt like a lifetime.

The weight of Celine’s words won’t leave me.

Beside me, Tessa stares, clutching her pearls like they’re the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. Her wide eyes demand something from me—something I can’t name, something I’m not ready to give.

I should tell her right now. I should lay it all out and let her decide if she still wants me after she learns what I’ve done.

But I don’t.

I can’t.

I won’t risk putting that weight on her shoulders.

I won’t risk losing her.

So, I do what I’ve always done: I choose what’s safe and what I can control.

I choose what keeps her protected, even if it means keeping her in the dark.

But the guilt? It burns.

It crawls up my throat, thick and suffocating, wrapping itself around my ribs like a vice.

She deserves the truth.

But how much of it?

I swallow hard, my mind warring with itself.

What if I tell her that I left because of Patrick? That the situation was dangerous, and I needed to protect my family. I can tell her they’re safe now and leave what happened to Patrick out of it.

That would be partially true.

It wouldn’t be a lie—but it wouldn’t be everything.

If she knew I killed him with my bare hands… if she knew what I was truly capable of—would she still look at me the same way? Would she still love me?

Or would she run?

Because if I lose her again, I don’t know if I’ll survive it.

WHAT DID SHE SAY?

TESSA

Sauland I walk two blocks away from Crescent Hall in tense silence, the city’s buzz fading into the background as we step into the shadows of a secluded alleyway. My heart pounds with the weight of everything unsaid, and when we stop, I whirl around to face him.

Saul’s face is a battlefield of emotions—love, determination, and desperation. His eyes burn with an intensity that could pin me to the ground. He’s all passion and power as he takes my hands in his, squeezing them tightly as if he can tether me to him with sheer force of will.

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