Chapter 9: The Cruel Echo

The phone rang, a shrill, insistent sound that sliced through the quiet hum of the apartment. Serena flinched, her hand instinctively going to her chest. The storm had passed hours ago, leaving behind a bruised sky and a damp, heavy silence. But the quiet, she was learning, was often more treacherous than the noise.

Adrian, who had been making coffee in the kitchen, appeared in the doorway, his movements silent, his gaze sharp. He didn’t need to ask. He saw the way her shoulders tensed, the way her eyes darted to the phone as if it were a venomous snake.

“Don’t answer it,” he said, his voice low, even.