CHAPTER 85 — THE COST OF SPEAKING FIRST
The fallout did not arrive all at once.
It came in layers—quiet at first, almost polite—before it began to press down from every direction.
Elena felt it the moment she woke.
Not fear. Not doubt.
Pressure.
The kind that settled in the chest and stayed there, reminding her with every breath that something irreversible had already begun.
Morning light crept into the bedroom, pale and restrained, as though even the sun was uncertain how much it was allowed to reveal. Elena lay still for a long moment, listening. The mansion was awake earlier than usual. Footsteps echoed more frequently in the corridors. Doors opened and closed with careful precision. Voices stayed low.
Preparation had replaced routine.
She turned her head.
Adrian was already gone.
That didn't surprise her.
