Sara’s POV
I was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, listening to the faint ticking sound coming from somewhere in the hallway. The room was dark except for the small lamp on the nightstand that gave off a soft yellow glow. I should’ve been asleep by now, but my mind wouldn’t stop spinning — about school, about Mum, about being here in this huge house that didn’t feel like mine.
Then I heard it — the quiet sound of my door creaking open.
I froze. My first thought was that maybe Mrs. Li needed something, but when I turned my head, I saw him. Archer.
He stood there in the doorway, his hand still resting on the knob. The hallway light spilled over him, outlining his tall frame and making the shadows play across his chest. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, just a pair of black sweatpants tha
