Chapter 26 The Gathering Storm

• The night smelled of rain, heavy and metallic, as though the city itself held its breath. Élise sat at the edge of the sofa, her coat still wrapped around her, Camille perched nervously beside her.The encounter she had with the stranger had left her shaken, though she refused to admit it aloud even after narrating it to Camille. Her hands twisted in her lap, fingers restless, betraying the fear she was trying so hard to swallow.
• Camille broke the silence first. “You should have told Antoine immediately.”
• Élise’s jaw tightened. “And what would that change? He’d only use it as another reason to push me away.”