Orion’s POV

The next morning came too soon, with the sun spilling light into the dining room, yet I felt a heaviness settle in my chest as I sat across from Chloe. We were eating lunch—if you could call it that—past noon, and there was still no sign of Ava. The air was thick with unspoken tension, the remnants of our dark plans lingering like a bad aftertaste.

“Can you believe her?” Chloe scoffed, taking a sip of her drink. “That hypocrite. She’s probably busy keeping her bed warm with whatever man she dragged in last night. The audacity of that woman to act like she’s above us.”

My mind...