Keen nodded meekly. "I know, Dad."


    The ride home waspletely silent. Ste didn''t utter a single word.


    Once back at the house, Haynes coaxed Keen upstairs before turning to her. "You knew he wasn''t going to hurt Keen... Why go to such extremes?"


    Ste offered no exnation, simply turning on her heel and heading up the stairs.


    A full week passed without a glimpse of Joshua. No calls, no texts. It seemed the brutal p had finally shattered him, driving him away for good.


    Abby called to inform Ste about a crucial contract that required her immediate presence back in Solmaris. Seeing that Joshua had seemingly backed off, Ste decided it was time to return.


    The week had been eerily quiet. At first, Ste remained on high alert, paranoid that Joshua was just waiting for her to drop her guard before striking. But time proved her wrong. Wherever she went, the shadows remained empty.


    Meanwhile, Haynes finally received intelligence regarding Callie O''Brien''s whereabouts.


    She had been dumped in a remote border country. Her limbs were intact, but her living conditions were a waking nightmare. She had been sold off as a servant to a wealthy, tyrannical household.


    The life of a servant there wasn''t just sweeping floors. She was expected to cook borate feasts and perform backbreaking manualbor from dawn till dusk. If the food was subpar, she starved. If the chores weren''t perfect, she was beaten. She wasn''t allowed to sleep until every task waspleted.


    For someone like Callie, who had grown up pampered and had never worked a day in her life, it was absolute physical and psychological torture.


    When Haynes heard the report, his dark eyes remained unfathomable. His reaction was shockingly indifferent.


    "Understood," was all he said.


    Ste studied his stoic face. "Are you not going to send a team to extract her?"


    He met her gaze, his eyes pooling with an inky depth. "Is this how she and my mother used to torment you?"


    Ste realized what he was implying. Her expression dimmed. "That''s all in the past."


    Not wanting to reopen old wounds, she pivoted the conversation back to her uing flight to Solmaris.


    Knowing she had business to handle


    and


    Hdn''t hide in Novaris forever,


    Haynes didn''t try to stop her. "Alright. Fit take you!


    back


    By "take you back," he meant he was flying with her.


    "You don''t need to do that," Ste said. "You have your ownpany to run here."


    "It''s fine. I front-loaded my schedule," Haynes replied smoothly. "If an emergency pops up, I can always fly back."


    Anticipating her refusal, he added,,


    "Joshua might have gone quiet, but he hasn''t left Novaris yet. He might not be done it''s safer if escor you."


    Ste couldn''t argue with his logic.


    Two dayster, they boarded a flight back to Solmaris. This time, they left Keen behind.


    At the airport in Solmaris, Abby Murphy was waiting at arrivals.


    Watching Ste and Haynes walk side by side in effortless harmony, Abby felt a jarring sense of whish. Once upon a time, Rachel Pearce had tumed their marriage into & toxic war zone. They hadn''t exactly been mortal enemies, but they hads hated each other Even after Haynes learned the truth and begged for forgiveness, Ste had always treated him like dirt.


    Seeing them so united now felt surreal.


    Since Keen wasn''t with them, Ste didn''t move into Haynes''s ce. She headed straight to one of her own private apartments.


    Joshua remained a ghost. Everything was so peaceful it felt borderline terrifying.


    Just as Ste was preparing to contact Laurel Quinn, disaster struck.