Isabella swallowed hard, her throat feeling as though it were lined with glass. The parchment in her hands felt unnaturally heavy, the ink of the imperial seal searing into her vision. She stood frozen, caught in a paralyzing indecision. She wanted to shake Leon awake, to demand answers, but one look at his shattered state—and the fragile, strained threads of their marriage—told her that doing so would only ignite a fire she couldn't extinguish.
She remained there, suspended in hesitation, until the sudden creak of the door made her heart lurch. She spun around, her breath catching, only to find Mathias standing in the threshold, his gaze fixed on her with an unreadable intensity.
"Forgive me, sister-in-law," Mathias said, his voice a low, smooth vibration. "Have I arrived at an ill-timed moment? Please, excuse my intrusion."
