Zane’s POV
The air had changed, but not in the way Zane had hoped. It wasn’t just the absence of the mansion’s dark presence—it was something deeper, something unsettled. Despite the fact that they had destroyed the source of their torment, the weight hadn’t entirely lifted. If anything, it had shifted, leaving a quiet unease in its place.
Leona had been silent for days. Not the kind of silence born of peace or relief, but the kind that hinted at battles still raging internally. Zane understood it because he felt it too. The mansion had done more than haunt their lives—it had shaped them, scarred them in ways that didn’t simply vanish when the building crumbled.
He spent his days trying to keep things normal. Chopping wood for fires, fixing meals, and making sure Leona ate, even if she
