Vivian.
Night fell over the Northern Estate like a velvet warning. The wind rattled the stone walls, carrying whispers I couldn't name. Every shadow seemed alive, waiting for me to falter. I couldn't sleep. Couldn't stop thinking.
Sebastian's steady presence beside me was the only tether to the world I knew. He hadn't pressed me for words. Just held my hand, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face, reminding me silently: I wasn't alone.
Lucas had retired early, his sharp eyes always watching, always calculating. But I could feel the invisible thread of security everywhere — unseen cameras, silent motion detectors, a network as intricate as a spider's web. The D'Aragon lineage did not leave risk to chance. Every step I took, every breath I drew, felt measured, anticipated.
