Rafe’s POV

I lay stretched out on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, but my mind was miles away. The darkness in my room was thick, almost suffocating, yet I couldn’t find the peace I desperately needed. Instead, all I felt was a relentless storm of confusion, anger, and betrayal swirling inside me. Every breath I took seemed shallow, ragged, as if I was fighting to hold myself together.

Aurora’s face haunted me—her sly smile, her commanding tone, the ...