章 26: The First Rejection

Claire's POV

Three days later:

It's been three days since I fled from Evander's mansion, slipping away the moment Sissy called me. I couldn't even wait for the dawn to break like I'd promised myself. The longer I stayed, the more suffocated I felt—like the walls were closing in, making it impossible to breathe. I had to leave before I lost myself in the shadows of that place.

But the last three days had been a whirlwind of chaos, so much so that I almost forgot about the storm I'd left behind. Between visiting Grandma whenever I found a spare moment and spending hours house-hunting with Sissy, I barely had time to think. Every minute was filled with something—appointments, calls, paperwork—keeping me on my feet, distracting me from the unresolved emotions gnawing at the back of my mind.