KODA'S POV
I looked at Ayasha lying on the healer's cot, her face pale against the white pillows. She was trying to sit up straighter, probably attempting to appear less vulnerable than she felt. I knew that look. The stubborn tilt of her chin, the way her eyes refused to meet mine directly. She was preparing to lie to me.
"I got dizzy," she said, her voice carefully neutral. "Too much stress, probably. The healer says I need more rest."
I almost smiled despite the situation. Did she really think I wouldn't see through something so obvious? Considering the healer came to me the second she fell unconscious.
"We have established this between us already," I said, moving closer to the bed. "I know when you are lying."
She scoffed, the sound sharp in the quiet room. "Everything is a game to you, isn't it?"
The tension in the room grew thick enough to cut. Pavati shifted uncomfortably in her chair, clearly sensing the undercurrents she didn't understand.
