217

Isabella

As the first rays of dawn filtered through the curtains, casting a soft golden glow across the room, I stirred from my slumber, the remnants of a fitful night's sleep still clinging to the edges of my consciousness. But as I reached out to greet the new day, my fingers brushing against the cool sheets beside me, I was startled by the sound of hurried footsteps echoing down the hallway.

My heart quickened in my chest as I strained to listen, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling with unease. Damien rarely rose before the sun, his mornings typically reserved for the quiet solitude of his thoughts as he prepared for the day ahead. So the urgency in his footsteps sent a shiver down my spine, a foreboding sense of dread settling like a heavy stone in the pit of my stomach.

And then he burst through the door, his face drawn and pale, his eyes wild with a frantic energy that sent a jolt of fear coursing through my veins. His words spilled from his lips in a breathless rush, a