Chapter 69

• The night had grown heavier, its silence punctured only by the rustle of leaves in the wind and the occasional car horn echoing from a distance. The city, usually bright and alive, seemed muted, as though it too shared in Danielle’s turmoil.
• She sat rigidly in the back seat of Alexander’s car, her eyes fixed on the phone in her trembling hands. Every few seconds, she unlocked the screen only to find nothing—no call, no message, no update about Theo. The silence from the world gnawed at her nerves.
• “Danielle.” Alexander’s deep voice broke through the heavy stillness. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, the muscles in his jaw tensing. “We’ll find him. I promise.”