MAYA

We closed early that evening. The car was filled with Silas’s cold silence and my growing anxiety as we headed to the mansion. The penthouse had felt like a temporary truce, but as the gates of the Blackwood estate came into view, the air in the car suddenly felt too thin to breathe. I hated this place.

The high ceilings and wide hallways didn't make it feel grand; they made me feel small, trapped in a house with bad memories. It was like the walls were slowly closing in on me the moment we crossed the threshold.

As soon as we stepped into the grand foyer, the sharp, rhythmic...