MasukThe heavy doors slammed shut, sealing out the wind and rain completely.
Avery felt the full weight of Dominic's body drop against her shoulder, the side she had been using to steady him suddenly bearing his entire mass. The man who had stood before Martin like an untouchable god had finally released every ounce of forced strength. His tall frame tilted forward, collapsing against her without warning.
"Dominic!"
Avery wrapped her arms around his broad back, trying to brace
The first rays of morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom, slanting softly across the bed. The pale gold warmth crept across the sheets, catching the dust motes floating in the still air.When Avery opened her eyes, she found herself looking straight into a pair of deep, steady grey eyes.Dominic was propped beside her, his gaze fixed on her face. She had no idea how long he had been watching her. For months, those eyes had always carried that sickening blur, that hazy unfocus that never quite cleared. But now, his gaze was sharp and bright, reflecting the morning light and the loose strands of her hair spread across the pillow. There was a stillness in his expression, a quiet reverence that made her breath catch.Sens
The moment they stepped through the old sanatorium's entrance, the heavy smell of mildew and burning filled the air, thick and suffocating. The odor clung to the back of her throat, a blend of decades-old decay and fresh destruction. The stairwell was dark, lit only by the flickering orange light from the third floor, casting eerie, shifting shadows across the cracked walls and broken tiles. Dust particles swirled in the dim glow, disturbed by their footsteps, dancing like ghosts in the firelight.Dominic walked ahead, his tall frame blocking the view above. He didn't look back, but his hand reached behind him with unerring precision, his fingers closing around Avery's wrist. His palm was scorching hot, his grip steady, a silent anchor in the darkness. The heat of his touch cut through the cold of the abandoned building, grounding her.
Old Obsidian City district. The gallery entrance was narrow, with no signboard. Above the door frame, a small metal symbol was carved. Dominic paused at the threshold, his grey eyes lingering on that symbol longer than on anything else. Then he pushed open the heavy wooden door.The motion-activated spotlights inside the gallery flickered on as they walked, each section lighting in sequence as they advanced and extinguishing behind them in the same measured rhythm. The effect was almost theatrical, as if the space itself was guiding them deeper into its secrets.The innermost room matched the video footage exactly, the sofa, the oil paintings on the walls, the pattern of the carpet, even the position of the floor lamp was identical. Everything had been left precisely as it was, a stage waiting for its audience.
Morning light filtered through the windows when the soft sound of coffee grinding and the sizzle of frying eggs drifted from the kitchen. The aroma of fresh coffee and warm bread filled the apartment, a welcome contrast to the cold tension of the previous night.Avery pulled on her coat and stepped out of the bedroom. The floor was cool against her bare feet as she walked into the living room.In the living room, Dorothea was already seated at the table, her cheeks stuffed full, a half-eaten strawberry clutched in her small hand. Her little legs swung back and forth beneath the chair, and there was a smear of red juice across her chin. She looked up the moment she saw Avery, her eyes lighting up like twin stars."Mommy! Did you and Dominic go dragon
The black SUV pulled smoothly into the main portico of the estate, its tires crunching softly against the wet gravel.The doors opened, and the cold, damp night air rushed in, carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth and fresh asphalt. Dominic held an umbrella in one hand, his other settling on Avery's lower back as he guided her around the puddles and up the marble steps. His palm was warm through the damp fabric of her gown, steady and sure.The second floor was silent. Dorothea had already been put to bed by Kate, her room dark and quiet, the soft sound of her breathing barely audible through the crack in the door.Dominic took the coat she had been wearing—his coat—from her shoulders and hung it on the rack by the door, smoothing the f
When they stepped out of the main entrance of the Chamber of Commerce building, the first drop of rain landed on Avery's hand—cold, sharp, piercing, like a needle of ice against her skin. She looked up at the sky, which had been clear just moments before, now swallowed by a thick blanket of clouds that seemed to press down on the city like a lid.Within seconds, the downpour had torn through the night sky over Obsidian City, shattering the stillness into a curtain of water. The rain came down in sheets, pounding against the pavement with a force that seemed almost personal. The street below spread out in a wet sheen of reflections, blurring the distant streetlights into smudged golden halos that danced and wavered in the puddles forming on the asphalt. The air smelled of wet concrete and ozone, the sharp tang of electricity still lingering from the storm.
Avery arrived at the sanatorium half an hour early.She needed that extra time—not just to review the records, but to steady herself before facing Julian. The corridors smelled of antiseptic and old wood, and her footsteps echoed too loudly against the polished floor.She went straight to the nurse
The heavy wooden door clicked shut, leaving behind a faint, chilly draft from the corridor.Only after Drake had exited and the surrounding air collapsed back into a dead silence did Avery finally venture to poke her head out from beneath the heavy duvet. The flush on her cheeks hadn’t fully faded,
Dorothea required two stitches on her forehead.Because she was so young, the local anesthetic had to be strictly limited. She trembled with pain throughout the procedure but never made a sound, her small hand simply crushing Avery's fingers in a desperate grip.Avery could feel every
During breakfast, Dorothea kept her eyes fixed on the staircase.Avery sat across from her, mechanically stirring her oatmeal, her gaze never leaving her daughter for a single second.The word "lullaby" from Drake the previous night felt like a thin wire tightened around her throat.







