LOGINLana's POV.I could sense that Greta was about to make a confession, so I kept my tone as sharp as a knife. "What happened when you went to get their tray?"Greta swallowed hard, her throat moving nervously. She twisted her fingers into her apron, the fabric bunching up until her knuckles turned white. "I got a text," she murmured. "From an unknown number. It said not to give them food again."The room fell into a heavy silence, the kind that presses against your ears and feels almost suffocating. Even Amelia's earlier laughter seemed like a distant memory, completely overshadowed by the weight of those words. I stared at Greta, hoping she would take it back, that she would say she misunderstood, or anything that would make this situation less chilling.But she didn’t take it back."Show me," I demanded. "Right now."Greta fumbled with her apron pocket, her hands shaking so much that she almost dropped her phone twice before finally managing to unlock it. She turned the screen toward
Lana's POV.Amelia was smiling.It made absolutely no sense. Nothing about that moment warranted a smile not the gnawing ache in my son's stomach, not Asher's rage as he stormed off down the corridor, and certainly not the cold, stone room that still carried a faint whiff of chemicals and hidden truths. Yet there she stood, arms crossed, that same slow smile curling at the corners of her mouth as if she were relishing a secret treat all her own.I tried to convince myself I was imagining it. I told myself that grief and adrenaline were playing tricks on my eyes. But then Jacob shifted in my arms, and I felt his little body go still.He was staring at her.His head turned slowly, that curious way children have when they pick up on something adults would rather keep hidden, and his wide eyes locked onto Amelia's face with an intensity that even made me uneasy. He didn’t utter a word. He just observed her, like someone watching a storm cloud gather on the horizon, unsure whether to flee
Lana's POV.The figure in the doorway stepped fully into the light, and I could feel every muscle in Asher's body tense up beside me, like a predator readying itself for an unknown threat.It was Jacob.There he was, my son, standing in his sleep shirt with his bare feet on the cold stone floor, his small frame almost swallowed by the shadows that loomed around him. His hair was messed up from sleep, and his eyes were heavy with fatigue. For a fleeting moment, it felt like the entire room held its breath.Amelia was still watching me, her gaze crawling over my face as if she were trying to uncover the secrets I was hiding, when Jacob's small voice sliced through the tension like a knife through silk."Mummy?"That single word shattered something deep inside me. I didn’t think about how this looked, didn’t consider Amelia’s narrowed eyes or the unfinished question still hanging in the air. I rushed across the room in three quick strides and dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around
Lana's POV.“My phone." Asher's voice sliced through the air before he even fully stepped inside, sharp and urgent enough to make the guard behind him flinch. His gaze darted around the workbench, the shelves, the broken cabinet—anywhere but at me. "Where's my phone?"I blinked, quickly masking my expression into something neutral, something that suggested I was unfazed, the same careful facade I’d maintained throughout that call. "Your phone?" I echoed, furrowing my brows as if I genuinely didn’t understand. I raised both hands, palms up, and shrugged slightly. "I don’t know. You had it when you left, right?"He didn’t respond. Instead, he was already moving, striding over to the chair he’d been sitting in before the knock had interrupted him, before everything had spiraled out of control. His hand found the edge of his cloak, still draped over the workbench where he’d left it, and he lifted it in one swift motion.There it was the phone, screen dark, exactly where I’d tucked it back
Lana's POV."Asher's phone," I blurted out before she had a chance to say anything, before I could second-guess myself. My voice came out steadier than I felt, low and warm, wrapped in a confidence that didn’t really belong to me.There was a pause on the other end, the kind that told me I’d thrown her off balance."Who is this?" Amelia's voice was sharp, laced with suspicion, as if she had been expecting Asher and instead got a stranger.I don’t know what made me say it. Maybe it was the stubborn candle that refused to light, or the guard’s urgent knock, or the ache of being left alone in a cold room while Asher walked off to whatever secret he had with someone from Ashgrove. Or maybe it was just seeing Amelia’s name flashing on the screen, over and over, like an itch I finally decided to scratch."His girlfriend," I replied. The word felt strange on my tongue, borrowed and risky, but I didn’t falter. "Who’s asking?""Put him on." Her demand was sharp, each word clipped and precise.
Lana's POV.The candle refused to reignite. I stood there, watching the thin wisp of smoke curl up from the charred wick, hoping for some logical explanation to pop up, maybe a draft, a defect in the wax, anything at all. But nothing came. The room felt like it was holding its breath alongside me, and Asher's hand rested on the small of my back, steady and grounding, though I could tell even his fingers had gone quiet."Wards," he finally murmured, his voice so low it felt more like a thought than a statement. "Something brushed against the wards. That’s all."I wanted to trust him. But deep down, I wasn’t sure he believed it himself.I was still fixated on the candle when a knock echoed through the room.Three sharp raps, deliberate and commanding. I glanced at Asher. He didn’t seem surprised, not exactly, but there was a shift in his expression."Come in," I called out, since he seemed hesitant to respond.The door swung open, and one of the guards, who also served as Asher's perso
Lana’s POV 8 years later It was one of those rare, peaceful mornings where everything seemed to be in perfect harmony in my life. Jasper and I were lying in bed, tangled up in each other’s arms, enjoying the quiet before the day really began. His warm breath tickled the back of my neck as he kis
Lana’s POV I was struggling to hold back my tears when Amelia’s laughter harsh laughter echoed in the room, sharp and mocking, as if my heartbreak was nothing more than a joke to her. “Oh, Lana, are you really that pathetic?” she sneered. “You’ve always been jealous of me, haven’t you? That’s why
My heart was beating so hard it felt like it would break my ribs. I stood my ground, even though every part of me wanted to run. Asher was standing so close that I could see the tiny flecks of silver in his blue eyes. He looked older and more tired, but he still had that same power that made everyo
Lana's POV The first thing I felt was a heavy ache behind my eyes. It wasn't a sharp pain, but it felt like my head was paining me. I tried to move my hand to touch my face, but my arm felt weak and slow. I opened my eyes. The light in the room was soft, but it still made me blink. I wasn't in my







