_Aria’s POV_
A few hours later, Ryan messaged me back.
I was sitting alone on the bed. The curtains were half closed. The light outside was soft and gray, as if the day itself could not decide what it wanted to be. I had tried to read. I had tried to rest. I had tried to distract myself.
Nothing worked.
My phone vibrated in my hand.
My heart jumped before I even looked at the screen.
Ryan: He is definitely tracking your movements.
The words made my stomach twist.
I stared at them for a long moment, then typed back slowly.
Tracking me how?
The reply came almost immediately.
Ryan: The pendant. The amulet he gave you.
My fingers went cold.
The amulet.
I looked down at my chest. The red string rested against my skin. The pendant itself was smooth and dark, carved with strange sym
