Vivian
The silence after the call did not feel empty—it felt awakened.
Sebastian still held the phone in his hand, but his attention was no longer on the device. His focus had shifted inward, calculating, connecting, predicting, as if every word spoken had already begun forming a larger pattern in his mind.
Mrs. Elara Montclair stood motionless near the center of the room, one hand pressed against her chest as though steadying something fragile inside her.
I could hear my own heartbeat.
Loud.
Unavoidable.
"Say it," I whispered, my voice barely holding. "Please… someone say something."
Sebastian inhaled slowly before speaking.
"That number," he said, his voice controlled, "sent the same message to me."
Mrs. Elara looked up sharply. "You received it too?"
He turned the screen toward her. "Identical wording. Identical timing."
Her composure cracked visibly.
