Chapter 72 – Ashes of Victory
Part 1 – Isabelle’s POV
The night air smelled of smoke, gasoline, and endings.
The kind of endings that weren’t clean, that didn’t fade into quiet relief, but bled into the soil, scorched the sky, and whispered to you in the back of your mind for the rest of your life.
I stood at the edge of the Raze estate, my boots digging into the damp earth, and watched the fire devour it from the inside out.
The flames moved like predators—slow in the beginning, almost curious, then all at once ravenous, tearing through walls, curtains, portraits. I could hear the groan of collapsing beams and the faint shattering of glass. Each sound was an exhale, a piece of history breaking apart forever.
The heat licked across my face, warm enough to make my skin tighten, but I
