Alaria:
The sound of laughter, soft, feminine, didn’t belong here.
Not in this cabin. Not among these walls that still smelled of smoke and fear.
And most certainly not in a place where I stayed with my child.
I stepped into the main room, my pulse already rising before I even saw her.
And when I did, the air left my lungs like a punch.
Claire.
Sitting by the hearth as if she belonged there, a cup of tea in her hand, the same cool smile on her lips that used to make my blood boil.
“What is she doing here?” I demanded, my voice cutting through the quiet like a blade.
Liam stood near the door, his posture tense, unreadable. “Alaria…”
“No.” I stepped closer, the fury already sparking behind my ribs. “You tell me right now why she’s here. In our safe house. With our daughter in the
