Keira didn't leave Liora. She acted as if nothing had happened and kept sending Donald messages in that same gentle tone.
Keira: Donald, I passed by your office today and brought you some coffee. I left it at the front desk.
Keira: It's raining. Don't forget your umbrella.
Keira: I heard the magnolias are blooming at Shoreveil. You once said you wanted to go see them with me.
Donald never replied. He just took screenshots of those messages, added them to the evidence the detective had given him, organized and filed everything, and locked it all away in the safe in his office.
By the middle of May, Liora had settled into its rainy season, with rain falling day after day for a whole week, leaving the air so damp and heavy that it felt impossible to breathe.
Donald received a call from
