Chapter 11

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 09:31:33 +0000

The silence after his departure was worse than his presence. It clung to her like a second skin, thick and suffocating, pressing against her ears until the faintest sound of her own breathing felt unbearable. Bilqish sat rigid in the dining chair, her hands limp in her lap, her untouched breakfast growing colder by the minute. She could not bring herself to move, as if the slightest shift might summon him back.