Elise's POVThe rain started again just after midnight, hard and angry, like the sky was trying to wash the blood off the estate grounds.I found Nico in the small alcove off the east corridor, the one with the cracked window that overlooked the damaged wall. He was sitting on the wide sill, shirt unbuttoned, shoulder bandage peeking out, staring at the rain like it owed him answers. His face looked worn in the dim light — lines around his eyes deeper than they used to be, jaw tight with something he wasn’t saying out loud.I stopped in the doorway, rain dripping from my coat onto the floor. My heart felt too heavy for my chest. Three weeks since my father died. Three weeks of war, betrayals, and this strange, complicated thing growing between us that I didn’t know how to name.“You’re still awake,” I said.He turned his head. His eyes softened when they landed on me, but the tiredness didn’t leave. “Couldn’t sleep. You?”“Same.” I walked over and sat beside him on the sill. Our thigh
Read more