Chapter 40

At dawn outside the motel, Romeo finds Keres staring into space and gently asks about her feelings. Keres breaks down, admitting she mourns Phoenix and blames herself for the plan that led to Phoenix’s death. Romeo counters that Phoenix made her own choices, reminding Keres that Phoenix tried to stab Mia and that accountability still matters despite trauma.

Keres insists Phoenix was broken, and Romeo comforts her while keeping his own pain guarded. When Keres apologizes for whatever hurt him, Romeo initially withdraws but allows the connection when she takes his hand. Keres confesses she feels both loss and relief because Phoenix’s suffering had become unbearable, and the relief makes her feel guilty.

Moved, Romeo shares that his mother died by suicide and that he almost followed, but instead he killed the stepfather who abused them both. Keres understands and asks who it was; Romeo names his stepfather. He explains he was once angry at his mother but later recognized her pain and limited choices, paralleling Phoenix’s struggle.

The talk reframes Keres’s guilt: trauma explains but doesn’t excuse, and different people cope differently. Romeo lightens the mood by calling Keres a “wild she-devil intent on vengeance,” making her smirk. They sit together in quiet solidarity, their bond strengthened, and wait for Ace—“their knight in shining armor”—to return with breakfast.