Chapter 66 Ashes To Run

• (POV: Isabela)
• Out in the open, noise from fighting trickled away into something thin and hollow. Fire snapped less often now. Voices gave up one by one. Still, the hush draping Mateo’s stronghold down south pressed hard against the ears. Like walking through dirt-covered bones long after everyone fell.
• Hours might have passed. Maybe just minutes. Time faded quietly as I lay still, barely breathing, surrounded by what was meant to be joyful and fresh. His words echoed—harsh, clear—ordering me not to move. That command held me tighter than any lock. On the other side of the room, Camila cried silently, her face hidden, her body shaking, broken by the truths she had been forced to reveal.