Chapter 186

• Freya‘s pov.
• The door to my chambers shut with a heavy click, sealing me in quiet. For the first time since the valley, I stood alone—no voices, no stares, no judgment. Just me and the echo of everything that had happened.
• I peeled off my clothes and stepped beneath the shower. The water was hot, biting, a welcome sting that grounded me in the present. It washed the grime from my skin, but not the ache from my chest. Arius vanished into sacrifice. I pressed my palms to the wall, water streaming down my back, and whispered to no one, “Why does it always cost so much?”