Shattered.
And Kai doesn’t answer. He just laughs.
A single, hollow sound. The kind of laugh that makes your blood run cold because it doesn’t sound like a laugh at all.
Gabriel’s eyes squeeze shut. His hand drops from Kai’s shoulder, hovering midair like he doesn’t know where to put it now. “Kai,” he says again. “You should’ve told me. I would’ve—I could’ve—”
Gabriel’s voice breaks apart mid-sentence, and his hand falls uselessly back to his side.
I want to move.
I want to say something.
But I don’t.
Because how do you speak into a silence like this?
My gaze drifts to the tall windows lining the far wall. The glass reflects the soft gold of the chandelier, the glitter of dresses, the pale faces still frozen in stunned silence.
Something shifts in the darkness just beyond the garden fence.
I squint, leaning slightly toward the window. At first, I think it’s a shadow. Or maybe a trick of the lights.
But then the shadow moves again.
And I realize it’s not a shadow at all.
It’s a man.
He’s standing just beyond the glow of the porch lights, right at the edge of the garden, and a black hood obscures his face.
I freeze.
The world around me dulls into white noise. Lilia says something beside me, I think. But I don’t catch it. Because I can’t look away from that figure.
My phone buzzes, the sharp sound cutting through the static in my ears. I tear my gaze away from the window and glance down, breath catching in my throat.
Unknown Number.
1 New Message.
I hesitate.
My fingers don’t want to move, but they do. Slowly.
Shakily.
I unlock the screen.
I hear you’ve still been playing detective, Adeline? Let’s see how brave you are without your friends.
Back garden. Now. Don’t speak. Don’t stall. Or you’ll be the reason someone else ends up dead.
The room spins. My heart goes cold.
I read the message again. And again.
But it doesn’t matter how much I do, the message stays.
