KIERAN BLACKWOOD
I return to the mansion in silence, the weight of Maya’s mother’s words still pounding in my mind.
The shadows of the night stretch around me as I enter through the main door, my footsteps echoing on the marble floor.
The mansion is quiet, except for the distant sound of the wind whistling through the cracks of the old windows. Scarlett must be asleep upstairs, and for a moment, I consider going to her. But something inside me stops me.
I can’t face her now. Not until I understand what’s going on.
I climb the stairs and walk down the hallway with steady steps, passing the room where I know Scarlett is.
The door is ajar, and for a brief moment, my gaze falls on her. Scarlett is lying down, her face serene in the faint moonlight streaming through the window. Her tra
