~ Adeline ~

The morning sun bleeds through the curtains, pale and cold, falling across my face. For a long moment, I just lie there, staring at the ceiling as the memory of last night plays on repeat—Elara’s blood, Cassian’s voice, the contract sliding across the table.

Sleep hadn’t come easily. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him in that doorway again, silent and unrelenting. He hadn’t said a single word, but somehow his silence had spoken louder than anything else could.

My ...