The safe felt incredibly cold and unyielding beneath Mara's fingertips, its surface a dull grey metal that reflected the soft, dim light filtering through the heavy curtains of the study. She fixated on the door, her heartbeat thundering in her chest like a war drum. This was the culmination of everything she had tried to uncover, the truth that Isla had put her own safety on the line to disclose.

With a deep breath to steady herself, she grasped the ornate handle and pulled at it, but it ...