Chapter 98

Jayden's POV.

The relief was a quiet, heavy thing, settled over the room like the dust motes dancing in the single shaft of sunlight that broke through the thick drapes.

My father, who had paced the length of the carpet a hundred times since I arrived two days ago, finally sat, sinking into the leather armchair with a sigh that seemed to deflate him entirely.

His eyes, usually sharp and calculating, were soft with lingering shock. He looked at me, really looked at me, and a slow ...