Estella's heart pounded against her chest but she did not try to move or run away despite knowing that the guard has called for backup. Her body trembled, not out of fear, but from the overwhelming pressure building inside her chest. Panic clawed at her throat, but she bit it back. There were no tears yet, but they hovered, ready to fall. She was frozen—not by helplessness—but by the certainty that if she made the wrong move, she might never see Crassus again.
She should have run. Should have returned to the palace or found Sophia or Sheila. She should have thought logically, weighed the odds. But she didn't care. Not anymore.
Crassus was somewhere in this forest, and if she left… if she walked away without knowing what was going on… she might lose him. Forever.
The realization struck her like a physical blow.
