Chapter 32 · Traceless - Chapter 32: Make Them See

The recording ended. Layla sat on the floor of Cole's safehouse, staring at the blank screen.

Her mother's face was gone. The apology was done. And Layla felt nothing.

No. That wasn't right. She felt everything. Rage and grief and something sharper, something that tasted like metal in her mouth. Her mother had made her invisible on purpose. To keep her safe. To keep her secret. And now Layla was supposed to what—be grateful?

She stood. Her legs shook but she locked her knees and turned to Cole.

He was watching her from the doorway. Arms crossed. Face unreadable. But his eyes tracked every move she made, the way they always did, like she might vanish if he blinked.

"I'm not hiding anymore," Layla said.

Cole didn't move. "What are you talking about."

"I'm done." She walked past him into the main room. The walls were covered in screens—security feeds, HQ channels, the city grid. All of it humming with Sensor data. All of it blind to her. "My mother wanted me invisible. HQ wants me erased. Evan wants me locked up as proof he can track the impossible. Everyone gets what they want except me."

"Layla—"

"No.