The studio was quieter now.
Sunlight spilled through the glass wall in lazy slants, cutting across the floor like fading hope. Kai stood at the mixing desk alone, fingers brushing across the faders without moving them. The others had gone upstairs. Even the hum of traffic outside seemed hushed.
That's when he heard the steps.
Ash.
Kai didn't turn. "Didn't think you were still here," he said flatly, eyes fixed on the flashing lights on the panel.
Ash's breath stopped before responding. "I was. I've been trying to talk to you."
Kai stood up. "If this is about Noah again—"
"It is," Ash interrupted, voice low, urgent. "And I know you don't want to hear it, but you have to."
Kai's jaw set.
Ash moved in, tension emanating from his person. "You always tell me Noah destroyed you, lied to you, vanished. Nobody informed you about what actually happened on that evening five years back. Nobody informed you why he went away."
