Sasha’s POV
The forest had gone still, holding its breath like it knew something sacred was about to break.
Rain had stopped sometime before dawn, but its ghost lingered. The air was heavy, dense with the scent of wet earth and pine. Drops clung stubbornly to every blade of grass, glinting like scattered fragments of starlight. Even the moss beneath our feet looked alive, lush and glimmering, like the forest had dressed itself in jewels for this moment.
Trees ringed the clearing like sentinels, dark and towering, their limbs hung low with silver-drenched leaves. A hush lay over everything, too complete to be peace. It felt more like a pause before the world shifted on its axis.
And above us, the stars had returned, but not in the usual way. They didn't spill across the sky in a quiet
