Page 230 of Sage Haven

His brows lifted. “Woah. Not something I ever expected to hear from you.”

I let out a low chuckle. It felt strange. Hollow. Like it didn’t quite belong to me.

“People change,” I said, quieter now. “Maybe there’s some hope for us all.”

Cas scoffed. “Optimism?” He shook his head like he was trying to shake off the weight of it. “Fuck, brother. I’m not ready for this new you.”

His laugh was warm, familiar.

It cut through the heaviness in my chest for a moment.

And then—he saw it.

The shift. The fracture. The goodbye already forming behind my eyes.

His smile faded, slipping away like a shadow under the door.

And in that moment, I didn’t have to say it because he already knew.

“Things aren’t changing, are they?” His voice was softer now.

Raw. Dangerously close to fear. Not for himself. For me.

I swallowed hard, feeling it stick in my throat like glass. The weight of what I was about to do pressed into my ribs, heavy and brutal.

I turned away, because I didn’t trust myself to hold his gaze. I couldn’t let him see me fall apart. Not now. Not when I needed to be steady.

“No,” I said, my voice rough and ragged. Final.

Cas exhaled slowly, like he’d been bracing for this all along. He didn’t argue. Didn’t try to talk me out of it. He just stood there, staring at the space I’d left between us. And maybe, that was worse.

Because this was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do.

Walk away from her. From the life I could’ve had. From the love I never thought I’d find.

And somehow, still survive it.

I wasn’t sure I could. But I would try. For her. For Cas. For whatever pieces of myself I had left to salvage.

Even if it meant dying a little more each day.

Even if it meant living in the shadow of what could’ve been.

Even if it meant watching her light fade from my life and knowing I was the one who turned away.

Because if this was what would keep her safe…I’d tear myself apart for it.

And I already was.

53

SAGE

One Month Later

When life falls apart,it’s rarely just one choice that destroys it. It’s never as simple as a single wrong turn or a single mistake.

No. It’s a tangled mess. A collection of small decisions and sharp words, split-second reactions, and silent omissions. Sometimes they’re yours. Sometimes they’re someone else’s.