~GRAY
The heavy mahogany door of the guest suite clicked shut with a sharp, definitive sound that seemed to slice straight through the dense air of the corridor.
I stood perfectly still in the hallway, my hands slowly curling into tight, rigid fists inside the pockets of my trousers. The quiet that descended upon the residential wing was absolute, but inside my skull, a chaotic, roaring storm of pure disbelief was violently spinning out of control.
I didn't move for a long, agonizing beat. I just stared at the blank grain of the wood, my jaw clenching so hard the muscles along my neckline throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.
Amaris.
The name wasn't just a lingering memory anymore, it was a physical trap sitting right beneath my family’s roof.
I turned on my heel, my heavy leather b
