The Weight of It All

The penthouse was dark.

It was not because the night had fallen, but because Isla had drawn every blind, shut every curtain, and locked herself away from the world long before the sun began to dip beneath Milan’s skyline.

The city outside still glittered like stars with shop lights, speeding cars, lovers walking arm-in-arm but none of that warmth reached her. Not anymore.

Inside, the air felt thick, like it was holding its breath.

She sat curled into the corner of the cream sofa, a blanket wrapped around her like armor. The only sound was the faint hum of the refrigerator in the open-plan kitchen, and somewhere down the hall, the quiet shuffle of Aaric’s footsteps as he played in his room.

Her phone was face down on the coffee table. She hadn’t touched it all day except to silence it. The notifications had become relentless with news alerts, emails, social media tags. Each one was another dagger.

ISLA MONTGOMERY HIDES FROM MEDIA STORM. WHAT IS SHE GUILTY OF?

CEO TURNED RECLUSE: SECRE