As Fiore and Lance walked through the familiar corridors, the silence between them was thick with tension. The weight of their return hung heavy in the air, and neither spoke as their footsteps echoed off the cold stone walls.
Lance was right—it didn’t feel like home. Not after the taste of freedom they’d experienced on their travels. Out there, away from the shadow of Reginald and the stifling grip of the Silverwoods, they had felt more in control.
Now, returning to this place, it was like stepping back into a prison, the walls closing in on them once again.
Every step made Fiore feel more caged, more trapped, as if the freedom they had tasted was slipping away from her grasp. She found herself clenching and unclenching her fists, trying to shake off the feeling of helplessness.
Whe
