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Silence falls between us, heavy and suffocating. I hear my own breathing, too loud in the quiet room.

“You don’t get it,” he says finally, voice low. “This city—it eats people alive. Anders was just another example of that. Someone else will take her place. Someone worse. That’s how it works.”

“That’s not an excuse,” I say.

“It’s not an excuse,” he agrees, his tone calm, resigned. “It’s the truth. And if you think you can stop any of this then you’re wrong. Everyone wants a piece of Haze.”

As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. The OCU is corrupt. The Judiciary is corrupt. Everyone with power in this city is playing the same game. And whoever is behind Haze—they’re winning so far.

I turn to Rowan, who’s been silent this whole time, watching with that unreadable expression he wears so well.

“What happens to him?” I ask.

He tilts his head, a small, dangerous smile playing on his lips. “That’s up to you.”

The weight of it all presses down on me. I consider walking away and letting Rowan handle this. But I can’t. Elsie and Anna’s faces flash before my eyes again, sweet and innocent. They don’t deserve this. Tanya doesn’t deserve this.

I turn back to Kane, meeting his gaze. “You’re going to tell Tanya everything, from the affair to your deal with Anders and what you did to me. Everything. And it will be up to her whether she forgives you or she kills you.”

“Alex…” he breathes.

I close my eyes. I can’t stay here. The lights are too bright and looking at him makes me want to spill my guts on the floor.

Rowan comes to stand next to me and I feel his gentle hand at the small of my back. I let myself lean into him, ignoring the way Kane watches us with curious eyes.

“You’re lucky,” Rowan says to Kane. “He is nothing like me. If he was, your body would be at the bottom of the river by now.”

Kane visibly flinches.

“Tell Tanya the truth, Kane, because if you don’t, I will,” I say finally, then turn to leave the room because I can’t be in here for another second.

Outside the warehouse, the freezing winter chill hits me like a slap. I double over, trying to catch my breath, the heaviness of what just happened coming over me like a wave.

Rowan’s hand rests lightly on my back, steadying me. “I’m here,” he says quietly.

It takes a moment for me to catch my breath again before looking up at him. “Can you take me home?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “I think I need to be alone.”

Rowan hesitates, his eyes searching for something in mine. After a moment, he nods. “Of course,” he says.

I’m glad he doesn’t ask if I’m okay because I don’t know how I’d answer that.

Rowan doesn’t say much on the drive to my apartment and neither do I. I can’t think of anything to say. The steady hum of the engine fills the silence between us, but it doesn’t feel suffocating.

When we reach my building, he parks the car and cuts the engine, turning to look at me with those eyes I’ve never been able to resist.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” he asks, his voice quiet but firm.

For a second, I consider saying yes. There’s a part of me that wants him to come upstairs, to sit with me in the silence, but Kane’s words won’t stop ringing in my head.

So, you belong to The Snake now?

I force a small smile, trying to hide the fact that I’m barely holding myself together. “I’m sure,” I say. “Thank you for the ride—for everything.”

He doesn’t respond right away, just reaches into the console and pulls out a phone, holding it out to me. I blink at it, confused for a moment.

“Yours is broken,” he says simply. “Use this for tonight. Call me if you need anything.”

There’s something else he wants to say—I can see it in the way his mouth presses into a thin line, his jaw tight. But he doesn’t say it. I nod and take the phone.