Chapter : The Face in the Frame

The moment I saw the child’s face on my phone, the world fell silent.

She had Lucien’s eyes.

My lips parted, my heart slammed against my ribs, and a thousand fractured memories surged like a tidal wave. But none of them had her in it. I would’ve remembered. I would’ve known.

Lucien stood frozen beside me, his expression unreadable. “That can’t be real.”

But the ache twisting in my chest told me otherwise.

The message beneath the photo was clear. Brutal.

“Come alone. Or she dies.”

There was no location. No name. Just the threat. And that innocent face.

I locked the screen...