Anthony's POV
The silence of the forest pressed down on me like a storm cloud, heavy and suffocating. Shadows draped over the trees, stretching out in every direction, yet none of them offered a trace of her. My breath hitched, and I forced myself to keep moving, each step an effort to stay grounded in the midst of spiraling dread.
But every step forward felt like I was only being pulled further away from her, like the woods were swallowing me whole, separating us with every silent breath of wind that slipped between the trees. The ache in my chest grew fiercer, clawing deeper, scraping against my ribs. I stopped, finally, my head spinning. I couldn’t go on like this—blindly, hopelessly, praying that the next turn might somehow lead me to her.
Raising my gaze, I found myself under a pat
