Chapter 49 Caden Returns

(Iris)

Caden was coming back tonight. Leila had told us earlier today, her voice filled with an urgency that only heightened our anxiety. Since then, the hours seemed to stretch endlessly, each minute a test of our patience.

Jasper had been restless all day, pacing back and forth in the confines of our prison. I was not much better, my nerves frayed and my thoughts spiraling into endless what-ifs.

Leila’s words still echoed in my mind. We had been huddled together in the early morning light, the air thick with tension. Her face was unreadable, her eyes flickering between Jasper and me as she relayed the news. “Caden is coming back tonight,” she had said, her voice low. “Be prepared.”

Prepared for what? The question had hung in the air, unspoken but heavy with dread. Caden’s return meant answers, but it also meant facing the full weight of whatever truths had been hidden from us.

Jasper couldn’t sit still. He prowled the room like a caged animal, full of a nervous energy that