Evelin's POV
Jimmy had always been the picture of confident composure, yet standing before me now, he appeared fragile enough to shatter with the slightest touch.
This wasn't the same man who'd shared breakfast with me just this morning.
Whatever had transpired in my absence had transformed him completely.
"Yes, I'm back," I said, moving closer and lifting my umbrella.
The wide black canopy created a shelter above us both.
"The downpour's getting worse out here. We should head inside," I suggested.
But he didn't seem to register my words. His eyes drifted back to the massive tree standing before us.
"Do you know? My mother used to love climbing this tree."
"What?" The revelation caught me off guard. His mother had been a tree climber?
"She'd scale these branches constantly, gazing toward the horizon. She dreamed of fleeing this place, but my father kept her trapped here—a prisoner in her own home," he murmured.
I remained quiet, letting him speak.
