Isabella
The storm outside mirrored the one inside her.
Lightning flashed against the horizon, illuminating the ocean waves that crashed violently against the cliffs below. The safe house wasn't supposed to feel like a prison, yet every second inside its cold, stone walls made Isabella's chest tighten.
She stood by the window, fingers gripping the frame, watching the darkness swallow the light. The wind howled like the ghosts of everything she'd lost her peace, her innocence, and most painfully, the man she loved.
Sebastian had survived. She knew it in her bones. His heart wasn't the kind to stop beating just because the world said so. But days had turned into weeks, and all she had were whispers intercepted signals, coded messages from Liam that said, "We're close."
Close. But not close enough.
"Your father will come back for us. He always does."
But her voice cracked before she could finish. Because for the first time, she wasn't sure.
