Chapter 18: The Old Estate
Elena's POV
The car ride to the old Sterling estate felt like driving into a trap I'd already agreed to walk into. The city gave way to older roads lined with overgrown trees, branches scraping against the windows like fingers reaching for me. My hands stayed tight on the wheel, knuckles white, the taste of Adrian's kiss still lingering on my lips.
I kept seeing Leo's small hand clutching my shirt. "Come back, Mommy." His voice echoed in my head, steadying me even as my heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. I gripped the wheel harder, forcing myself to breathe.
The estate appeared at the end of a long driveway—once-grand, now faded and overgrown. Vines climbed the stone walls like grasping hands. Windows stared like empty eye sockets. Security had cle
