The following days were tense and cold, marked by a quiet distance that hung heavily between Lena and Rylan. The air in the cottage felt stifled, as if the walls themselves were absorbing the weight of their strained silence. Lena had kept mostly to herself, throwing herself into training with Iseult and poring over the grimoire’s secrets. But no matter how she tried to push it from her mind, the ache of betrayal lingered.
Rylan had been careful to give her space, though she could sense his silent struggle, the way his eyes would search for hers with a mix of regret and longing whenever they crossed paths. But each time, Lena would look away, the doubt still twisting in her chest.
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe he had left Kane for the right reasons. Part of her knew that Rylan wasn’t
