Lyra's POV
“You’re back,” Alice’s voice sliced through the silence, cold and precise as a scalpel, the moment I stepped inside. My hand froze on the doorknob as I turned, my stomach tightening. She was waiting for me, poised against the wall, watching like a cat with a cornered mouse.
“Did you have a nice heart-to-heart with Aunt Grace?” she continued, her smirk widening as she took in the red stains on my cheeks, the hollow look in my eyes. “Or did you finally realize no one can save you?”
My pulse hammered in my chest, anger rising like a flame, but I forced myself to stay calm. “I don’t need saving, Alice. Especially not from you.”
She let out a mocking laugh, tilting her head as if she were studying some curious specimen. “Oh, Lyra. How long are you going to keep this up? This pat
