The night had stretched far longer than Camilla remembered allowing it to.
Inside the Reyes family mansion, silence settled like a suffocating blanket, broken only by the distant ticking of a grandfather clock somewhere down the hall. The once-warm glow of the chandeliers had dimmed, leaving the corridors steeped in a soft, amber quiet.
In the master bedroom, Claudia Reyes sat at her vanity, carefully removing her earrings. Her movements were unhurried, graceful, but her reflection betrayed her.
Worry lingered in her eyes.
Behind her, Franklin loosened his cufflinks and placed them neatly on the dresser. He glanced at her through the mirror, observing the subtle tension she hadn't bothered to hide.
"She still hasn't come out?" he asked gently.
Claudia paused.
"No," she replied softly. "She didn't come down for dinner. She didn't even answer when the maid knocked."
Franklin frowned slightly and moved closer, resting a hand on the back of the chair. "This isn't like Camilla."
