silent except for the soft hum of the city beneath. Ethan sat across from her, his sharp eyes never leaving her face, his posture as rigid and cal

hrough the quiet. His words weren't a question, more of a statem

egal union. In exchange, he would help her get the pendant back. The same pendant her

much she had lost by even considering this option. She was ab

mething else at play here. Ethan didn't care about her or her grandmot

ixture of confusion and frustration. "Why did you cho

You have something I need," he replied flatly. "And you want something I c

, her nails digging into the edges. Was t

voice firm despite the uncertainty swirling insi

. "I'm not buying you, Sophie," he said in a low voice. "But there's a price to eve

o other choice. The alternative was to walk away and lose everythin

aper. She was doing this for the pendant. For the closure she needed. And maybe,

moment, Sophie wondered what was going on inside his mind. Was he re

ers brushing hers as he took it. The touch was brief, almost imperceptible, but Sophie felt it nonetheless. There was s

ought away. This was

hoice," Ethan said, his

on that she had just sold a piece of her soul to a man w

uldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of some

ut what would come next? Was this really the path she wanted to walk? The life she had known seemed

herself standing in the empty hallway, wondering