Marvis's POV
Melody stood by the window like she was waiting for a war.
She didn't say much after dinner. Just thanked me under her breath and retreated to the farthest room with the door slightly cracked like she wanted to disappear but needed to know she wasn't alone.
Now it was morning, and she hadn't touched the coffee I left by her door.
I watched her from across the room, arms folded, pretending to read a report. Truth was, I hadn't looked at a single word.
She wore the same grey hoodie. Hair pulled back. No makeup. And still, she looked like something sacred.
I should've kept my distance.
She was chaos stitched together with quiet rage. Grief had made her cold. Dangerous. Like me.
And I was drawn to her the way flame calls to dry wood.
"Did you sleep at all?" I asked, voice low.
"No."
I already knew that. Her eyes gave it away.
She turned to me, finally. "You're staring."
"You're interesting."
She scoffed. "I'm a mess."
"So am I."
She looked at me like she wanted to argue. But then her shoulders dropped, and she gave up.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, eyes narrowing. "Really."
I stood. Walked closer. Stopped just short of touching her.
"Because I know what revenge does to a person. How it eats you slowly. And because… I see myself in you."
She blinked, startled. "That's not a compliment."
"No. But it's honest."
A long silence passed between us. The kind that says more than words ever could.
"I can't let this go," she said finally. "Even if it kills me."
"I know," I murmured. "And I'm not asking you to."
That surprised her.
"I want to help you finish this," I continued. "But I won't let you destroy yourself doing it."
She studied me, cautious, like she didn't believe me like no one had ever offered her help without a price.
"There's always a cost, Marvis," she said.
"I'm willing to pay it."
And maybe that was the moment everything shifted.
Because her eyes softened just a little. And for the first time, I didn't see a weapon in her. I saw the girl buried under the ruin.
Still breathing. Still fighting.