Page 181 of Sage Haven

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Something real.

Something that felt alive.

I hadn’t known how hollow I was until he touched me.

Until he saw me.

And now that he had…I wasn’t sure I could survive being unseen again.

I had spent so long believing I was beyond saving.

That the fractures inside me were permanent, that the sharp edges would always cut anyone who came too close.

But then there was Reich.

And he didn’t flinch.

He didn’t pull away.

He reached for the shattered pieces and held them in his hands like they were precious.

Like they weren’t broken at all.

And suddenly, all the emptiness wasn’t something to mourn.

It was a space, like a blank canvas, waiting to be filled with something worthwhile.

And I was filled with him.

Every look.

Every touch.

Every dark, quiet truth he let slip past those guarded lips.

I loved every piece of him.

Even if I never got to say it aloud.

Even if he could never say it back.

Last night, I had seen more of Reich than I ever had before.

More than anyone, I suspected.

I saw the man beneath the control.

Beneath the steel walls.

Beneath the brutal precision.

I saw his fight.

His love for helping people.

His drive to keep them safe.

His guilt.

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