ELISA'S POV.
I sat there with the cup of tea still trembling in my hands, staring down at my reflection in the dark liquid. Festus’s words still hung in the air—his question, the one I had been dreading.
My throat tightened and I forced myself to swallow past the tightness. Of all the things he could ask, it had to be that.
The fire crackled in the hearth, filling the silence that stretched too long between us. I wanted to pretend I hadn’t heard him, but his eyes were on me, curious and waiting.
“I…” My voice caught, and I looked away. “I don’t know if I should tell you that, Festus. It's really... It's complicated.”
“You must,” he said softly. “If whatever happened to you to get you walking again is tied to the strange things you’ve seen today—the eyes, the dream, even that woman cal
