The mansion was quiet.The kind of silence that settled heavily into the walls once night had fully taken over.
Outside, the moonlight spilled across the gardens in silver streaks. Inside, every corridor was dimly lit—soft and still.
But in one room, sleep had not come.Rafael stood alone in his workroom.The air felt colder here.
Nothing like the warmth of the room he had left behind.The room where Aria was probably asleep by now, curled into the side of the bed she had slowly begun calling hers. The thought made something tighten in his chest. He moved toward his desk, his expression unreadable.
For a moment, he just stood there.As if debating whether to do this at all.
Then slowly he opened the top drawer and pulled out a thin black file.
One he had hidden for far too long. His fingers tightened slightly around it as he placed it on the desk. The file opened with a quiet sound that somehow felt louder in the silence.
