The warmth of Eric’s embrace still lingered on Sonia’s skin as she made her way back to her dorm.
Every step felt heavy with unspoken promises, with the weight of secrets too dangerous to share.
She paused at the threshold, the doorknob cold beneath her trembling fingers.
For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to walk away and drop the mask, to tell Eric everything, to flee from Daxton and the games that had already cost them both so much.
But then she thought of Silas, his blood on the surveillance tapes, his bruised face in the flickering glow of the underground footage. She thought of the Cartel of Crowns and the way their threats still lingered in the shadows. And she knew she couldn’t run. Not yet.
She entered the room quietly, every instinct tuned to silence. Her br
