Chapter 34

POV: Adrian

The mansion lay in an uneasy stillness. The quiet after last night’s attack had a weight to it that pressed against every corner, every shadow. It wasn’t the comforting hum of domestic life; it was the tense silence that followed a storm, the kind that made every breath, every creak of the floor, feel amplified. I moved through it like a predator, boots silent on polished wood, every step deliberate.

Isabella slept in our bedroom, tucked beneath layers of blankets. ...