Silas's POV
Sleep was a luxury I couldn't afford that night. Every time I closed my eyes, images of Bella walking through the city unprotected flooded my mind. The thought of her being vulnerable out there, with no security detail watching her back, gnawed at me like a persistent ache. Offering her bodyguards would be pointless. She'd refuse before I finished the sentence. The restlessness ate at me in ways I didn't want to acknowledge.
Dawn broke through my bedroom windows, and the moment I heard delicate footsteps echoing in the hallway, footsteps that could only belong to her, I yanked my door open like some desperate fool, pretending the timing was pure coincidence.
There she stood, already dressed for the day. Her hair was pulled back in that effortless way that looked careless but somehow made her appear like she'd walked out of a magazine cover. Toby clung to her hand, his face brightening the instant he spotted me.
