Mikhail
Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones, in the way the cold morning air seemed to carry whispers of danger. Throughout Viktor's funeral, while I stood at the graveside watching my uncle's coffin being lowered into the frozen ground, my mind kept drifting back to Liliana.
She had been too calm this morning. Too accepting. After days of seeing her struggle with fear and desperation, this sudden peace terrified me more than her tears ever had.
"You seem distracted," Dmitri murmured beside me as the priest finished his final blessing. His shoulder was still bandaged under his black suit, but he'd insisted on attending despite the doctor's orders.
"I'm worried about Liliana," I admitted quietly. "She seemed better this morning. Even more settled and that worries me." I wat
