Fiona’s POV
The silence clung to the room, thick and unmoving—like a fog that refused to lift.
She’s staying with me.
Asher’s words rattled inside my skull, refusing to settle.
I swallowed. It didn’t help. The lump in my throat stayed right where it was, stubborn and solid.
No one spoke. Miriam. Elsa. Not a single word.
Elsa moved first. Not startled. Not shocked. Something else. Her lips twitched—amused, almost.
“Staying with you?” she echoed, head tilting. “That’s… interesting.”
Asher’s expression? Unchanged. “It’s not a choice.”
Elsa’s arms stayed crossed. “No? Because it looks like one. And not a smart one.”
Miriam shifted. Uneasy. The air in the room stretched thin and pulled taut like a rope about to snap.
“You dare to have a problem with it?” Asher’s voice—steady. Too ste
