The silence in the mansion had become a second prison for Arielle. It wasn’t the kind that locked her behind metal bars. It was quieter, subtler, more suffocating. Every step she took echoed against marble floors. Every time she lifted her head, she half expected Kairo’s gaze to be fixed on her, waiting.
She had been more careful these past days. Her earlier slip still lingered like a warning bell in her mind, reminding her how dangerous it was to underestimate him. Kairo was watching—she knew it.
The way his eyes lingered too long when she entered a room, the small questions he asked about things that didn’t need asking, even the pauses in his conversation… they all carried weight.
But Arielle couldn’t afford to stop. She had to keep pushing, even if the cracks were small, even if it f
