Ray let Ryan's words settle, realization dawning on him. The scars, the fractures, the sheer will it must have taken for Esme to not only survive but to protect them against impossible odds. She wasn't just their strength—she was their anchor. And in that moment, Ray began to understand the weight of what she'd endured, and why she'd gone to such extremes. It wasn't mindless violence; it was a relentless devotion to the people she cared about, regardless of the cost to herself.
As the quiet stretched across the room, Ryan settled back against the wall, his eyes on Ray, his expression softened by something unreadable. The rawness of the night's events hung between them, heavy and unspoken, settling into their bones.
