The moment Henry stepped through the front door, something felt off. The air inside the mansion was thick with tension, a heaviness that seemed to cling to the walls, suffocating the space. His mind was clouded with thoughts of Catherina and the strange encounter he’d had with Ronald earlier in the day. But as he walked further into the grand foyer, his gaze was drawn to the figure lying on the floor near the staircase.
Catherina.
Her body was crumpled in an awkward heap, her dress askew, her face streaked with tears. She looked like a picture of distress, a woman undone by some invisible force, her chest rising and falling in shaky, uneven breaths.
Henry’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he stood frozen, uncertain of what he was seeing. This wasn’t the Catherina he knew—the cold, c
