Amelia's POVThe night stretched on endlessly, the weight of the day refusing to let me rest. I lay in Asher’s arms, my head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, but sleep evaded me. The footage from the orphanage kept replaying in my mind — the grainy image of the ten-year-old boy dropping the baby from the balcony, the cold smile he gave the camera afterward. Every time I closed my eyes, it was there again, the small body disappearing from view, the boy’s face turning toward the lens with that chilling curve of his lips. I tossed and turned, the sheets tangling around my legs, the digital clock on the nightstand glowing 2:17 AM, then 3:42 AM, then 4:58 AM. Asher slept beside me, his breathing steady and deep, one arm draped loosely over my waist. I didn’t want to wake him. He had enough on his plate with the attack on his parents, the investigation, and everything else we were carrying. So I lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling, the weight of what
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