The peace didn't last.Maybe Rafael should've known it wouldn't.
Because in their world, silence was never safety. Silence only meant something worse was coming.
For nearly two weeks, Velmora remained strangely calm.No attacks. No threats. No movement from Daniel Barone.
The city that had been preparing for war suddenly went quiet, and that alone made Rafael restless.
The secured apartment remained heavily guarded while Aria slowly began healing piece by piece. She smiled more now. Slept beside him again. Sometimes Rafael would wake in the middle of the night just to stare at her breathing peacefully against his chest, almost terrified it would disappear.But even during those rare soft moments…Something inside him never relaxed completely.
Because Daniel disappearing without retaliation didn't feel natural.
It felt planned.
One stormy evening, Rafael stood near the massive windows of his private office inside the apartment while Noah sat across the table reviewing reports.
