Magnus lay half on the floor, half against the couch. His head rested awkwardly on the edge of the cushion while the rest of his body sprawled across the cold marble tiles. An empty whiskey bottle lay beside his hand.
Only one light in the living room remained on, casting a dull yellow glow over the mess. The rest of the house was silent. Dark. Lifeless.
Five in the morning.
His eyes flickered open.
For a moment, he didn’t move. His vision was blurry. The room felt unfamiliar, almost distant.
Outside the windows, the sky had begun to lighten. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but a pale gray glow stretched across the horizon.
Pain throbbed at his temples. His throat burned, dry and raw.
A slow blink. Then he shifted slightly—only to wince as stiffness shot through his neck and back from sleeping in that twisted position.
Silence surrounded him. No footsteps. No voices.
Sluggishly, he reached down and grabbed his phone from the floor. His fingers trembled faintly as he lifted it.
The screen glowed harshly in the dim room.
5:00 AM.
He licked his cracked lips, then tossed the phone aside again, exhaling roughly.
Pushing himself upright took effort. His muscles protested immediately. Every inch of him ached. His head felt like it might split open.
His gaze dropped to the whiskey bottle near his hand. A thin layer of amber liquid still clung to the bottom.
And then—
Timothy’s voice echoed inside his head.
‘Mrs. Graves is leaving Manhattan tonight. She has a flight to London. It’s at four in the morning. She’s really leaving the country tomorrow. I thought maybe you would want to stop her?’
The memory hit him like a bolt of electricity.
His breathing stopped.
Panic exploded in his chest.
Magnus’s eyes snapped open fully.
All the drowsiness disappeared in a second.
He shot upright, his heart slamming violently against his ribs. He grabbed his phone again, his hands suddenly shaking.
He checked the screen.
5:02 AM.
Chapter 12 Sylvia
He blinked harder. His chest tightened painfully.
Her flight was at 4 AM.
His pulse thundered in his ears.
