The vast library was immersed in an unsettling silence after Damon’s abrupt departure, the kind of quiet that felt thick and suffocating. Isla’s heavy breaths filled the space as she buried her face in Mara’s shoulder, her body trembling with fear. The tension radiating from Damon’s anger lingered like a heavy fog, casting a long shadow over the beautifully adorned room, where dust motes danced in the faint light filtering through tall, arched windows.

Mara held Isla tightly, acutely ...