Chapter 135

• For a moment, silence filled the room, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves outside the window. Edric closed his eyes, as though weighing whether to speak. When he opened them again, there was no denial—only honesty.
• “I was lost, Alora,” he began, his voice low and steady. “Completely lost. After you were missing, I wandered for what felt like endless days in the forest. The trees twisted around me, paths vanished beneath my feet. I had no food, no water left. I was bleeding, weak… and I knew death was waiting for me. I could feel it.”
• Alora’s chest tightened, her fingers unconsciously gripping his hand tighter.