Paul Lacy stood frozen at the entrance of the villa.
His feet felt as though they had been nailed to the ground, every muscle in his body locked stiff. The world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only a single figure burned into his vision—one that refused to disappear, one that loomed like a demon clawing its way out of his nightmares.
In the courtyard, Sarah Lacy stood there.
Her hair was tangled and disheveled, her cheeks swollen and bruised, her clothes dirty and torn. There was no mistaking that she had endured something brutal.
But she was standing.
Alive.
A living, breathing person.
Paul Lacy’s eyes widened until they hurt. His mouth hung open slightly, his mind completely empty.
No… that couldn’t be right.
He lifted a trembling hand and rubbed his eyes hard, as if tr
