Page 216 of Bound By Crimson

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Shecouldn’t risk it.

So she stayed inside.

Sat in bed like she used to.

Listened for footsteps in the hall.

The house felt heavier now. The shadows stretched longer. Even Noah seemed to sense something had shifted.

When she held him, he watched her more closely. Touched her face with tiny fingers like he was searching for something in her eyes.

The fear pressed hard in her chest.

She was terrified this might be the last time she held him before they caught her—but she didn’t let it show. She kept her face soft for him.

Lyric only hoped he couldn’t feel it.

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She returned to the kitchen once, just to feel normal.

Took a piece of cheese and a cracker.

It felt wrong now.

The house no longer felt safe. Not because of Mrs. Thornwick.

But because someone else knew.

Still, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

That voice.

Low. Cautious. Warm.

“Hello?”

It didn’t sound threatening. It didn’t sound cruel.

It sounded like someone who hadn’t meant to be heard either.

What if he could help her?

She knew she couldn’t escape with Noah on her own. The estate was too far from anything. Surrounded by vast forests.

Kai once told her there were a few neighboring estates—but for all she knew, they were probably controlled by the Thornwicks too.

Running to them wasn’t an option.

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She lasted four nights.

If this was her only chance, she had to take it.

Maybe he was already gone.

Maybe she’d ruined it by waiting too long.

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