Chapter 40 – Threats Escalate

Isabella's pov

My laptop sat open on the side table, editing notes scattered around me, but my attention wasn’t entirely on the words. Something had shifted in the air—a subtle tension, a vibration I couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t the usual calm before nightfall, the kind that makes you relax; it was sharper, heavier, like the world had shifted just slightly, and I was the only one who felt it.

I looked up when the door creaked. Adrian stepped in, his ...