~ Adeline ~

The crash is so loud that it feels like thunder inside my skull. The door doesn’t just open—it explodes.

And there he is. Ronan.

For half a second, my brain refuses to believe it’s him. My vision’s still spinning, the sweet-sick air clinging to my throat, and yet—he stands there like some furious storm that finally broke loose. Eyes cold, jaw tight. The kind of calm that makes your blood freeze.

The bald man jerks back like he’s seen death itself. And maybe he ...