HAZEL
I watched something shift behind his eyes. A hardening. Like I'd finally pushed him past politeness into something sharper.
"Your compulsive nature," he said slowly, "is what led you here."
I opened my mouth.
He kept going.
"You don't know your place in the grand scheme of things. You never have. That's why you're sitting at this table instead of being in control of your autonomy. That's why your sister is living a far better life than you now. That's why everyone who ever trusted you or holds your hand seems to end up worse for it and I bet they deserve it if they don't see the signs sooner."
My chest tightened.
"And you still haven't realized how far from grace you've fallen," he continued. His voice was calm. Measured. Each word landed with precision. "Because you're already thinking about heat season. You just said it. Out loud. Which means you've thought about it. Hard."
I felt my face flush.
