**Chapter:
Days later, the ride back to the Blake Mansion was unusually quiet. No one complained about the silence. No one tried to fill it with meaningless conversation. The tension from the past weeks still lingered, but it had softened into something more hopeful.
Adrian sat beside Raya in the backseat, one hand resting loosely over hers. He was careful not to put any pressure on the bandage wrapped around her wrist. His thumb brushed gently against her fingers from time to time, almost absentmindedly, as though reassuring himself that she was really there. Alive. With him.
Across from them sat Anna and Lucas, while Grigor occupied the passenger seat beside Stephen, who drove with his usual calm precision, eyes focused on the road ahead.
Every now and then, Anna glanced at Raya, asking the same question in different ways, her worry still evident. "Are you tired?"
Raya smiled softly. "I'm fine, Anna."
