Alan
The moment I stepped through the doorway of the Vance manor, I sensed it Cyril wasn’t home.
A cold knot twisted in my stomach. It wasn’t the usual feeling of absence, the kind you get when someone’s out for a few hours.
This was different. It was sharp, immediate, like the world had shifted a fraction and left me unbalanced.
“Susan,” I barked, my voice tense. “Have you seen Cyril?”
Her eyes widened slightly, and for a moment I thought she might fumble an excuse, but she shook her head. “No, Alan. She hasn’t come back yet.”
A tightness coiled in my chest. I ran a hand through my hair, pacing. Not again. She can’t just vanish… not like this.
I thought back to the day she was attacked outside the garage, the way her pulse had gone flat, the way my stomach had dropped when I reali
