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Chapter 85

last update Last Updated: 2024-10-08 13:57:44

Brax’s POV

My mind was an unending loop of worry that circled around Willow. Weeks had passed since I last saw her face or heard her voice, and her absence carved a hollow ache in me that I couldn't ignore. The reports from the men I had watching her became increasingly sparse, as though she had somehow worked out that they were following her and had found a way to avoid them. She wasn’t at school, avoided parties, and anywhere I expected her to be.

Work from my father kept me preoccupied, but it brought no peace. Meetings filled with strained respect and unspoken threats blurred together with each assignment he gave me. This life, the one paved for me before I was even born, was all I had known. But since Willow, all I ever did was wish for an escape. My father’s expectations loomed over me like a persistent shadow, whispering of future obligations I didn’t want, but I would take if it meant keeping her safe.

I stood at my front door, the day’s stress weighing on me heavily. The fami
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