Pearl POV
The days had bled into weeks. Two weeks, to be exact. Two whole weeks since Demyan had left me in that carriage, brushing the strands of my hair away as if I were something fragile, irreplaceable. I could still feel the weight of his touch against my scalp, the warmth of his palm against my cheek. And yet, when I opened my eyes each morning, that space beside me was unbearably empty.
At first, I told myself he would come back the next day. Then, perhaps two days later. A week at most. But now, fourteen days had passed, each one stretching like an eternity, and there was still no sign of him.
The academy halls no longer felt the same. Every corner reminded me of him, his smirk when he teased me, the low husk of his voice that sank into my bones, the way he would shield me witho
