MARIA
I stepped out of Adrien's room, my chest still tight from the chaos I had just escaped. My legs carried me on autopilot as I moved toward my own room, each step heavier than the last.
When I opened the door, a sharp pang hit me. My room was a mess—papers scattered across the floor, clothes thrown in disarray, and even Galen's belongings… gone. Someone had been here. Someone had gone through everything.
I didn't have the energy to process it. I let myself fall onto the bed, letting the weight of exhaustion, frustration, and fear press down on me. The events from earlier—the mark, Adrien's sudden aggression, the chaos with Davian—looped endlessly in my mind.
With a deep sigh, I shed the few clothes I had on, letting the warmth of the blankets wrap around me as I tried to calm down. My hands fell to my neck. The mark… still there, throbbing faintly, irritating and impossible to ignore.
