“Got it. Get some rest.”
Ethan Blackwood’s voice was calm, almost distant. He took Julian’s small hand and walked out of the ward without looking back.
The door clicked shut. Silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket.
Naomi Hart let out a long, slow breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Ethan’s words still echoed in her mind.
If she could choose again… she would never have brought Lily back to the city. She would have stayed on Catalina Island for as long as the sea and sky allowed. Life there had been quieter. Simpler. Safer.
Here, everything felt sharp enough to cut.
Across the city, at the Lin residence, Vivian Sinclair stormed through the gates like a woman possessed. She seized the nearest servant by the arm.
“Where is Paige? Is she home?”
The servant recognized
