CHAPTER 303
KATYA POV
The music didn't follow us.
Not fully.
It faded the moment we stepped past the edge of the floor, swallowed by walls and distance until it became something dull and distant—like a heartbeat I wasn't part of anymore.
But the noise in my head didn't quiet. If anything, it got louder.
My fingers tightened slightly around the glass in my hand as we moved down the hallway, the liquid inside shifting with each step. The scent hit me again—sharp, unfamiliar, almost offensive.
Bitter. I hadn't expected that. I hadn't expected any of it. The first sip had been a mistake.
The second had been worse. And yet, I hadn't stopped.
I didn't plan to now either.
My grip adjusted unconsciously, holding the glass a little higher, a little closer, like someone might try to take it if I wasn't careful.
Someone already had.
Michael.
