The night had been merciless.
Iva lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, watching the shadows shift as clouds passed over the moon.
Every time Iva closed her eyes, she saw the red thread.
Every time she drifted toward sleep, the weight of the secret pressed down on her lungs like a stone.
She turned onto her side. Then her back. Then her stomach.
Nothing helped.
The bond with Caleb hummed faintly in the distance—a reminder that he was out there, somewhere, dealing with his own burdens. She thought about reaching out to him, telling him what she had discovered. But what could he do? What could anyone do?
The Goddess had made her choice.
And Iva had to be the one to deliver the news.
By the time the first pale light of dawn crept through the curtains, she had accepted the inevitab
