Chapter 68

The heavy silence that followed Ophelia’s capture was palpable, settling like a thick fog over Julian’s estate. She’d been brought in with a level of security usually reserved for high-profile threats, every guard on edge after her earlier escape. Erica watched from the doorway as Julian’s men escorted Ophelia into the holding room, her wrists tightly bound, the remnants of her earlier struggle evident in the bruises and cuts on her wrists and face.

Ophelia’s eyes met Erica’s through the dim light, and a faint, taunting smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Despite her restrained position, her gaze held defiance, a simmering hatred Erica had come to expect—but it no longer shook her.

Julian approached Erica, his jaw set in a hard line. “She’ll be secured this time. There’s no chance of her slipping through again,” he assured, as though reading her mind.

Erica nodded, though her heart pounded with a quiet anxiety. “I just hope this brings us closer to ending all of this.” She glanc