CHAPTER 15: THE ARRIVAL
The road began to change long before the house came into view.
Smooth asphalt faded into rough gravel, the sound shifting beneath the tires as Damien eased his foot slightly off the accelerator. The car slowed—not out of hesitation, but control.
Trees rose on both sides of the road, tall and uneven, their branches stretching inward like they were trying to swallow the path whole. The deeper they drove, the darker it became.
Streetlights had disappeared miles ago, replaced by nothing but the car’s headlights cutting a narrow path ahead.
Everything beyond that light felt…untouched.
Like no one came this way. Like no one was meant to.
Inside the car, the silence had weight. Isla’s hands clasped tightly together in her lap, fingers pressing into each other witho
