Chapter 428
Chapter 428:
The door opened and Alma stepped inside, her eyes moving immediately between the two of them. Surprise crossed her face, followed by something more complicated — a flicker of wistfulness she suppressed quickly, resolving into something warmer.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked.
Kristine’s face went pink. She redirected at once. “Is the event wrapping up p>
“Just about,” Alma said, stepping further into the room. “People are starting to move through. We should go p>
Kristine looked at Asher. The thought of leaving was sharper than she expected — a reluctance she couldn’t entirely rationalize. What if it was another week before she saw him again?
Asher gave her a calm, reassuring smile. “Go with Alma. I’ll handle things here p>
She hesitated for a moment longer. Then, quietly, “I’m going then. Please stay safe p>
“I will,” he said.
N𝗼𝗏𝖾lѕ 𝗂𝘯 𝘁r𝖾nd оո
She turned toward the door.
“Kristine p>
She looked back.
Asher smiled at her — the particular smile that seemed to reach somewhere past her usual defenses and settle there. “Remember what I said. Think about it p>
She held his gaze for a moment, then gave a small, honest nod. “I will p>
She walked out.
Asher watched the door close after her, and the smile slowly faded. He knew the damage her past had left — knew the distance she put between herself and the possibility of being loved again. But the distance didn’t discourage him. He had already decided. However long it took, he wasn’t going to stop.
Kristine and Alma descended the stairs together into the last remnants of the evening. The lobby was mostly emptied out, only a scattered few still milling about. Kristine kept her hat pulled low and her mask in place.
Alma glanced sideways at her and noticed immediately that her ears were a brilliant shade of red.
She leaned in with a grin that meant trouble. “So. Details. How was it p>
Kristine looked at her. “How was what p>
“You know perfectly well what I mean,” Alma said sweetly. “Asher. Is he as impressive in private as he appears in public p>
The heat that rushed to Kristine’s face was so intense she was grateful for the mask covering most of it. “I wouldn’t know anything about that!” she said, her voice dropping to a horrified hiss.
“Oh, come on,” Alma laughed, nudging her arm. “Don’t be so coy. Just give me something p>
Kristine walked faster.
Nothing had happened. Absolutely nothing. She genuinely had no information to offer on the subject, and the fact that she was this flustered about being asked was a problem she chose not to examine too closely. Alma kept pace beside her, relentless, still laughing, still pressing for details that didn’t exist.
Their back-and-forth drew a few amused glances from the stragglers nearby.
One of those glances came from Elyse, who had just stepped out of the main hall.
She noticed them — and then she really noticed them.
She knew Kristine’s walk. She knew the set of her shoulders, the particular way she moved. No disguise could change the things you knew by instinct.
The smile on Elyse’s face vanished.
Kristine was supposed to be dead.