Modric’s POV
I remained inside the truck long after Velvera stepped onto the porch.
The engine continued running beneath me. Its low vibration filled the silence, but I barely heard it. My hands rested on the steering wheel while the cottage lights reflected across the windshield.
Velvera stood at the top of the steps in a pale robe, one hand gripping the fabric closed at her chest. The Volkov bracelet gleamed around her wrist.
She had worn it deliberately.
Perhaps she believed seeing it would remind me of my promises.
Instead, I remembered Mary Ann’s empty throat.
The family pendant hidden somewhere in the Luna Wing because she no longer believed it meant anything.
Velvera descended the porch slowly.
Relief remained on her face, but impatience soon replaced it when I did not leav
