Eden doesn't lose arguments.
She doesn't lose her voice.
She doesn't lose herself.
Until Alexander Cross starts listening.
Not the way people usually listen-but like he's memorizing her. Studying her. Becoming fluent in her.
And suddenly, Eden isn't sure if she's being understood...
or rewritten.
A word.
A pause.
A shift so small she almost misses it.
"Strident."
Said softly. Remembered permanently.
At first, she thinks she's evolving.
Then she realizes she's being edited.
And the worst part?
It feels like love.