"Registered vehicle detected: Damien Elford."
For a split second, everything stopped.
The faint hum of the villa's systems. The clock's quiet pulse. Even the steady rhythm of her own breath—halted.
Elysia's hand froze midair, the motion to straighten her sleeve suspended like a statue caught between moments. Her thoughts emptied into static.
Then came the sound again.
Tires whispering against the smooth pavement. A door shutting.
Her heart gave one heavy, unmeasured thud.
She didn't move.
Couldn't.
Not until her body decided for her.
One step. Then another.
The smooth shuffle of bare feet against polished marble.
She wasn't walking—she was drawn.
It took her a moment to realize it. To notice that her posture, normally faultless and deliberate, had lost its balance. Her stride lacked that subtle precision she always maintained. Her movements felt… human.
