Ember POV
One evening, as John and I sat together in his car after work, he turned to me, his eyes filled with concern. “Ember, you’ve been distant. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
John was right. I had been distant, lost in a whirlpool of emotions and confusion. I managed to focus at work, but outside those walls, it felt like I was adrift, a stranger in my own skin. My thoughts were consumed with the revelations about my past and the unsettling truths about Orion Blackwood. The weight of secrets and the fear of what lay ahead had created a barrier between me and the world, even between me and John. I wanted to confide in him, to let him in on the turmoil I was facing, but a part of me was terrified of dragging him into the darkness that seemed to surround me.
I looked at hi
