Chapter 72

• The aroma of roasted coffee beans and sizzling bacon hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the crisp autumnal breeze that swept through the open windows of "The Gilded Lily," a restaurant that hadn't changed a bit since their college days. Cleo felt a familiar knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach as Rowan steered her towards a secluded booth. It was a place steeped in memories, both happy and heartbreaking. Memories of stolen kisses under the flickering gaslights, whispered promises amidst the clatter of cutlery, and the bittersweet pang of their last agonizing goodbye.
• This wasn't their first time back in Havenwood since their escape. They'd returned several times for discreet visits to the community center, their haven of healing and collaborative effort, but this was different. This was a deliberate return to the very heart of their shared past, a conscious decision that felt both thrilling and terrifying.
• Suddenly, a familiar laugh sliced through the air, a laugh that sent a shiver of icy dread down Cleo's spine. Her breath hitched in her throat. There, by the entrance, stood Liam, his face etched with the same arrogant smirk she remembered all too well. Liam, the man who had once been Rowan's closest friend, the man who had betrayed them both with a callous indifference that still echoed in the chambers of her heart.