The heavy door settled back into its frame with a dull, final thud. Inside the office, the silence that followed was heavy and cold, broken only by the low whistle of the winter wind cutting through the open balcony.
Olivia remained by her chair, her hand still resting against her throat. The skin beneath her fingers felt warm, a stark contrast to the sudden chill of the room. She stared at the empty threshold where Matthias had stood just moments ago, his words still hanging in the air like a bitter draft.
Your body remembers the monster, even if your heart wants to forgive him.
She cursed herself silently. She didn't feel fear—not anymore—but her body had betrayed her. That single, instinctive flinch when she remembered his hands around her neck had been enough to undo him. She had wanted to demand answers, to break through his wall of self-sacrificing silence, but instead, she had driven him right out into the dark.
