Chapter 174

Alaria

The sound of laughter, soft, feminine, didn’t belong here.

Not in this cabin. Not among these walls that still smelled of smoke and fear.

And most certainly not in a place where I stayed with my child.

I stepped into the main room, my pulse already rising before I even saw her.

And when I did, the air left my lungs like a punch.

Claire.

Sitting by the hearth as if she belonged there, a cup of tea in her hand, the same cool smile on her lips that used to make my blood boil.

“What is she doing here?” I demanded, my voice cutting through the quiet like a blade.

Liam stood near the door, his posture tense, unreadable. “Alaria…”

“No.” I stepped closer, the fury already sparking behind my ribs. “You tell me right now why she’s here. In our safe house. With our daughter in the next room.”

Claire didn’t even flinch. She set her cup down with deliberate calm. “You’re welcome, by the way. Had it not been fo