The Countermove

***126: A Step Up

Cassia Rowe

I spent the night pacing my room. Every step felt heavy, my thoughts consumed by everything that had happened. The confrontation with Darius, Nadia’s mocking words, and the fear that she was plotting something even more sinister—it all weighed on me like a storm cloud ready to burst.

The quietness of the estate only amplified the chaos in my head. I didn’t know how mu