Chapter 65

The night air felt heavy as Erica walked alongside Julian, her footsteps silent but her mind still buzzing from the confrontation. Ophelia was finally in custody, and a weight had been lifted from Erica’s shoulders—one she had carried for years. But the road ahead was still uncertain, and her instincts told her this wasn’t the end of Ophelia’s schemes.

Julian’s hand hovered near hers as they walked, their fingers brushing together occasionally, but neither of them spoke. They didn’t need to; the tension of the night still lingered between them. Erica’s thoughts kept replaying the moment she could have ended it all with one swift motion, the knife at Ophelia’s throat. But something deeper had held her back.

Julian broke the silence first. “You could have killed her.”

“I know,” Erica replied, her voice quiet but steady.

They reached the car, and Julian leaned against it, watching her closely. His dark eyes held an intensity that Erica had come to recognize—a mixture of admiration and co