_Katherine's POV_
The moment I laid down, exhaustion took over. My body felt too heavy to move, my limbs sinking into the mattress as if I had been carrying a weight all day. Sleep came quickly, pulling me into darkness.
I don’t know how long I slept, but when I woke up, the room was dimly lit by the soft glow of the moon. My head still ached, and the heaviness in my chest hadn’t faded.
Then, a knock at my door pulled me from my haze.
“Katherine,” Lucian’s voice called out, smooth but firm. “Are you there? It’s time for dinner.”
I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the sleep. “I’ll be down in a minute,” I called back. “Go ahead without me.”
Silence.
For a moment, I thought he had left, but then he spoke again.
“I’ll wait.”
I swallowed, pushing myself up. He wasn’t giving me a cho
