Chapter 142 Broken Silence: Part 1

• This chapter transitions back and forth between both POVs.
• ⊰ Efrem / Alaki ⊱
• The bedroom lies in shadows as I enter, whiskey warming my blood and slightly blurring the edges of my thoughts. The lamplight from Alaki’s nightstand casts golden patterns across the floor. I pause in the doorway, memories of our confrontation in the foyer still raw—her palm connecting with my cheek, the shock in her eyes, my fingers gripping her chin. The taste of cruelty lingering on my tongue like poison.