Chapter Four Hundred and Forty-Seven

Ryan’s POV

I woke before everyone else.

That wasn’t unusual for me, years of conditioning had trained my body to function before the sun, but this morning felt different. Heavier. Like my chest had been loaded with decisions I hadn’t yet agreed to carry.

Celeste slept beside me, curled toward the warmth, one hand resting near my shoulder as if even in sleep she needed to anchor herself to something real.

The faint crease between her brows hadn’t smoothed out, not even in rest. The world had been cruel to her lately.

I stayed still for a long moment, just watching her breathe.

Then, quietly, I slipped out of bed.

I pulled on a shirt, moved through the penthouse without turning on unnecessary lights, and paused outside Molly’s room.

Her door was slightly open, the soft glow of a night lamp spilling onto the floor. She slept sprawled diagonally across the bed, hair fanned out, one arm flung over a stuffed rabbit like she was guarding it.

Safe.

That word mattered more than anything right n