The broken glass hadn’t been cleared– No one touched it. It remained scattered across the floor like a warning no one wanted to disturb.
Sophie stood frozen, her eyes still locked on the phone in Ethan’s hand.
You missed me.
Those three words didn’t feel like a message. They felt like a return.
“Ethan,” she said slowly, her voice tight, “who is it?”
He didn’t answer. Not immediately. His eyes still stayed fixed on the screen, his mind already moving somewhere ahead of everyone else. Calculating. Connecting.
Sophie stepped closer. “You said you know who this is.”
“I do.”
“Then say it.”
The room was filled with silence. Heavy. Reluctant.
Then— Ethan broke the silence.
“Victor Hale.”
The name meant nothing. And everything.
Sophie frowned slightly. “Who is that?”
Ethan’s grip tig
