"SO WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?" Grayson asked, his voice rough with barely contained emotion.
Mailah met his eyes, her heart breaking at the hope and fear she saw warring there. "I'm saying that maybe it's time we stopped looking for miracles and started preparing for reality."
The words sounded like a death sentence, each syllable another nail in the coffin of their optimism.
Grayson's face went ashen, the color draining from his features as if she'd physically struck him.
Vivienne leaned back in her chair with the satisfaction of a chess master who had just achieved checkmate. "Finally. Someone with sense."
"That doesn't mean I accept your solution," Mailah continued, her voice gaining strength even as her heart shattered. "I won't be responsible for innocent deaths. There has to be another way."
"Such as?" Vivienne's tone carried the patience of someone humoring a child's fantasy.
Before Mailah could respond, a soft knock interrupted their heated discussion.
