CHAPTER 61 — THE NIGHT SECRETS BURNED LOUDER
The storm had settled, but the echoes of everything that had happened in the past days still clung to Elena like a second heartbeat she couldn't quiet. Lydia's betrayal. Marcus's deception. The danger weaving around Adrian like a hungry shadow. Every truth she had uncovered lingered in her mind, tightening around her chest until she wondered how she was still standing.
But tonight wasn't quiet.
Tonight felt like the beginning of another war.
The mansion carried a mood she couldn't place. The lights in the hallway glowed brighter than usual, but the corners felt heavier, as if something unseen paced there. A hum—too soft to be sound, too sharp to be imagination—seemed to buzz around her as she descended the long staircase. Her navy silk dress brushed against her calves with each step. She had left her hair down at Adrian's request; he always said it made her look like a quiet storm—beautiful, unpredictable, impossible to ignore.
