The estate felt different after the attack. Security lights flooded the gardens outside, turning the quiet grounds into a maze of moving shadows and armed patrols. Guards walked the perimeter in steady rotations, their radios whispering through the night air. Inside the house, everything was unnaturally quiet. Too quiet. Evelyn sat on the edge of Silas’s bed while the boy slept. Or at least pretended to. His breathing was uneven, his small fingers still gripping the blanket as if he feared someone might pull it away. The events of the evening had shaken him more than he tried to show. Evelyn brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. “You’re safe,” she whispered gently. Silas didn’t open his eyes, but his hand shifted slightly toward hers. She held it. Across the room, Damian stood near the window, watching the security lights sweep across the garden. His jacket was gone now, his sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. A faint bruise had already begun to darken along his jaw
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