Page 85 of Wasted Grace

He nods. Silent. Civil. And we walk through the corridor in loaded quiet, past the nurses, past the machines, until we reach the front desk.

I pause just long enough to inform them Advik’s ready to contact his emergency contact.

The words taste wrong on my tongue. I shove aside the urge to stay beside him.

When we finally reach the parking lot, I instinctively glance around for my bike.

“You left it,” Vir says flatly, “at GenVault. Then you ran into the ambulance and didn’t look back for twenty-two hours.”

I scowl at his tone. “What’s the update? Mehul?”

He looks somewhere past me, his expression unreadable. “You’ve been fired.”

I go still.

“He thinks you’re compromised. That the attack meant for you was actually forhim—and that you were either careless... orcolluding.”

My jaw tightens. “So what now?”

“You’ll work with GenVault. Quietly. Discreetly. Off-books.”

He hesitates. “And... Mehul wants Dev back on your team.”

“Heison the team,” I snap.

Vir’s eyes narrow. “You know what I mean. Mehul doesn’t trust Advik. He wants eyes on your man.”

I freeze at his words. “He’s not my—”

“Isn’t he?” Vir turns to me fully. His voice is colder than I’ve ever heard it. It wraps around me.

“He’s not,” I swallow, but the lie won’t form further.

“You don’t even believe that yourself, do you?” Vir’s face uncharacteristically crumples. “Do you even feel anything for me?”

He steps closer and I don’t stop it. Instead my eyes squeeze shut.

“Do you?” he asks again.

I don’t answer. I can’t.

I feel his hands on my neck, slowly brushing up to my jaw. “Jaan...look at me. Please.”

Reluctantly, I meet his eyes. They’re dark. Tormented.

“BecauseI do. I have for more than just this past year. Before you were injured. Before you sent those tiny slivers of texts when you married Karim. Before you even fucking accepted that job! I’ve loved you, Gree. Even when you refused to be loved.”

His eyes are imploring, almost pleading. And all I can think is that any moment he will switch gears. He will want me to put us aside—putmeaside—and go back to the empty life of a soldier.

I blink. It’s not empty for him though. Vir functions solely onthislife. He’s never known anything else. He’s given 25 years tothis horrible world trying to fix it, and he doesn’t know anything else anymore. Other than tofixthings.

I step back. He follows.

“Vir, I...” I whisper. “What do you like about me?”

He thinks this is his cue—his victory. He pulls me into a hug like he’s finally claimed me. But he’s not mine. And I’m definitely not his.

“You’re fearless. You go into any assignment with the confidence of winning it. I love that. I love how you’re never afraid of failure and you pivot quickly. I love how you wake up in the mornings, and just know exactly what I’m thinking. I love the sound of your voice because it’s one more day you’re notdyingin that god forsaken house where Karim almost took you from me.”