CHAPTER 36 — SHADOWS AND STRENGTH

Isabella's pov

The night had a strange, lingering stillness—one that pressed softly but insistently against my skin, the kind that reminded me that danger rarely announced itself with noise. It crept, it slid, it breathed quietly. And I had learned, long ago, to listen to silence more than sound.

I sat propped against my pillows, legs curled under the duvet, my fingers lightly tapping the soft fabric as if keeping time with the subtle rhythm of the ...