Chapter 346

As afternoon faded into evening, Emmeline sat by her window, watching the play of light and shadow across the neighborhood.

Her thoughts swirled in endless circles, replaying conversations with her mother, imagining scenarios for the upcoming trial, and inevitably returning to memories of the morning with Zavian. The contrast between the peace she’d felt in his presence and the turmoil of her family home couldn’t have been more stark.

She reached for her phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found his number. Her thumb hovered over the call button, but uncertainty held her back.

What would she even say? That she missed him after just a few hours apart? That seemed pathetically needy.

That her family was pressuring her to return to Richard? He already knew the challenges she faced.

Instead, she set the phone aside and pulled out her journal from beneath the mattress.

The leather-bound book had been her confidant through the darkest days o