Page 175 of Ranger's Wildflower

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Behind me, I feel Ace tense—

Ready to pull me back.

But I keep going.

Because this—

This is where it ends.

“Yes, I do,” Daniel says, but his voice isn’t steady anymore.

“You don’t,” I say softly. “You’re just angry.”

“They took you from me!”

“I was never yours.”

That hits.

Hard.

I see it land.

See the way his grip shifts.

The way his aim falters—

Just slightly.

“You don’t have to keep doing this,” I say. “You can stop.”

For a second—

It almost works.

His arm lowers.

His breathing slows.

His eyes—

Clear.

Just a little.

“Tessa…” he says.

And I think—

I think he might actually—

Then his gaze flicks past me.

To Ace.

And everything snaps back.

Ace

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