The silence after Leah’s departure clung to Ryan like smoke. Heavy. Suffocating. Every corner of the house carried the weight of what had just unfolded, her venom, his rage, Eve’s absence.
He moved back into the great room, his footsteps echoing faintly against marble. The glass walls that once looked out on carefully manicured gardens now felt like they were keeping him inside a cage. The mansion had always been cold, but now it was unbearable.
He still held the letter in his hand, the paper creased and crumpled from his grip. His eyes dropped to it again. By the time you read this, I’ll be gone.
Gone.
The word burned.
He sat heavily on the leather couch, elbows on his knees, letter dangling loosely from his fingers. He stared at the floor but didn’t see it. What he saw was her, Eve,
