"Too late," Noah said with a small shrug. "Magnus is already making arrangements, and I don't think he's the kind of man who changes his mind once he's decided something."
Estelle released a slow breath, but it did nothing to calm the chaos in her chest. "There has to be a way to stop this," she said quietly. "We can at least try, right?"
Noah shook his head again, gentler this time. The answer made unease curl tighter inside her stomach.
"I don't trust them," Estelle admitted, her voice lowering. "What if they're planning to—"
"No, Estelle." Noah cut her off before the fear could fully form into words. His tone was calm, steady enough to ground her for a moment.
"Relax," he said softly. "I've got you."
Estelle searched his face carefully. For days, every person around her had lied, manipulated, or hidden things from her. Trust felt dangerous now, fragile even.
Yet somehow, Noah's voice still carried something solid beneath it. Something safe.
