Ivy POV

Two days passed, but the fear didn’t leave. The house was quiet, too quiet. The guards stood at every corner of the property. No one came or left without Lucien’s permission.

Rick acted like everything was normal. He played, drew, and talked to Lisa like always. But at night, he woke up crying. I’d find him sitting up in bed, his face wet with sweat and tears.

“Mama,” he whispered one night. “It’s hot. Everything’s hot.”

I wiped his face. “You had a bad dream, ...