“Sophia POV”

The hiss of the door closing lingered long after they were gone.

Silence pressed in around me, thick and suffocating. The only sound left was the steady rhythm of Lucian’s machines, their beeps too sharp and steady, like they were mocking the chaos unraveling inside me.

My body trembled as I sank back into the chair. My hand shook where it clutched his, desperate and unwilling to move—not even for a second.

Cassandra’s perfume still clung to the air. Her words clung ...