Chapter 302 Shadowed Commands

• Kane POV
• The kitchen had never felt smaller. Tension bled from every surface, thickening the air, coiling like smoke. I leaned against the edge of the island, one eye on Charlotte—who sat pale but stubborn beside the stove—and the other on the ticking clock. The steady hum of the refrigerator was the only sound, but even that felt too loud.
• She looked like she might snap in two. Her hands trembled slightly around the mug, and every few seconds, her eyes flicked toward the hallway. Her chest rose and fell too fast, her lips pressed into a thin line like she was trying not to cry or scream.