Chapter 27

• Lucia
• As the sun shone across the corridor, I watched from the darkness as Hunter walked away. His steps, once filled with purpose, now echoed a profound emptiness. It had been seven agonizing months since Amelia had vanished, and it was a period marked by growing feud between us.
• I couldn’t escape the guilt that gnawed at my conscience. The truth weighed heavily on my heart, poisoning every interaction we had left. Hunter had discovered my dark secret, the reason why Amelia had fled from our home in the first place. I had threatened her life in a fit of jealousy and rage, a secret I’d kept hidden until Hunter’s relentless search for her led him to the damning truth.