Rose's POV

My phone rang, shattering the thick silence in the room. I jumped, my nerves frayed by all that had just occurred. Across from me, Jasmine shot her brow upward, though she didn't say a word. The room hung in a tension so thick, it could smother us.

My hand reached for my phone, hesitating for a moment of uncertainty before I answered. Elijah's name flashed on the screen—a number I recognized, one I didn't necessarily want just now, but one I wasn't about to let ring.

I ...