Hailee's POV
For a moment after the words left my lips, there was nothing.
No breath. No heartbeat. No sound.
Just silence.
Thick. Heavy. Crushing.
On the other end of the line, Callum didn't speak.
I didn't know whether he was shocked… relieved… or simply confirming that I was truly breaking myself for this choice.
My fingers trembled harder around the phone.
Then finally—after what felt like a whole lifetime—I heard him breathe.
A slow inhale. A slow exhale.
Then his voice came—quiet, steady… and oddly empty of victory.
"Hailee."
Just my name.
It shook something deep inside my chest.
He paused again, as if choosing his words carefully—like he knew speaking too quickly might reveal everything he was trying to hide.
"I'm coming over," he said at last.
My stomach twisted painfully.
"When?" My voice barely escaped.
"In two hours," he answered. "I need time to prepare the contract… bindings… and the transport for the antidote."
My breath hitched.
