章 39: THE FINAL BREATH

ADRIANA'S POV

The knock on the door wasn't the kind of knock you hear from a casual visitor, the kind that fades away with the wind. It was sharp, frantic, almost desperate, and my heart instantly seized in my chest.

I froze as I heard a voice.

"Please... help me..."

The voice was unmistakably that of a child, high-pitched and weak. I felt a chill ripple through me, my blood going cold as those words echoed through the cabin. No one came out here. No one except... us.

I turned to Vincenzo, my stomach tightening. His gaze flicked to the door, his posture stiffening as if he had already read the situation in the same way I had. He said nothing, but the way his jaw tightened, the way he became more alert—more dangerous—told me that something was wrong.

"That was a kid," I whispered, my voice shaking. The realization hit me like a punch. A child. Out here. At this hour. In this place.