The rain outside Blackwell Manor showed no sign of stopping. It fell like something that had no purpose other than pressing the world into silence, as if even the sky was holding its breath for what had just begun inside the house. Ethan stood in front of the bedroom window, which had been left open, the curtains lifting slightly with the cold wind slipping in without permission. Yet he made no move to close it. He did not blink, not because he was calm, but because his mind was trying to reconstruct a reality that had just shattered in front of him.The bed was empty.Not empty like someone had stepped out briefly.Empty like someone had been taken without a trace, without sound, without resistance from reality itself. The blanket was still wrinkled, the pillow still held the shape of a head, but Alika was gone. No footsteps, no door opening, no sign that she left on her own. Ethan stepped closer to the bed, his hand pressing against the fabric as if he could still find warmth left b
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