Natalie~
I stood in Zane's private chamber, the familiar scent of him wrapping around me like a cloak I never wanted to take off. The warmth of his presence still lingered in my bones after our kiss, but the moment my eyes caught the photos on the table, everything shifted.
Time slowed. My pulse quickened.
My heart began to race, not from love this time—but from a sense of dread.
I stepped closer.
The closer I got, the louder my heartbeat became. A roaring thunder inside my chest.
My parents.
There they were.
Frozen in time. My mother's radiant smile. My father's proud, steady gaze.
I barely heard anything else after that.
Because all I could see were the ghosts staring up at me from that table.
My voice trembled. "Why are there pictures of my mom and dad on this table? Why does it feel like you're all about to tell me something that's going to break me?"
I turned to Zane. My gaze locked with his, searching his soul.
