Chapter 24

Aethel sat in silence, her back pressed against her bedroom door.

The faint hum of the city outside did little to drown out the ache she felt through the walls.

Through thin plaster and shared space, she had heard it all—every quiet sob, every shaky breath, every time Elara’s voice broke in the night as she whispered into the moonlight.

For nights, Aethel had listened.

She didn’t know what to do.