Chapter 172

Nothing. No noise at all. It was already ten at night. The kids had long gone to bed, and the whole orphanage felt like it was holding its breath in deep sleep. But the wind? The wind wasn’t done—it was howling like it had something to prove. Ariella Rios curled up tighter under the blanket. Without Lucian Sterling there, the room just felt… cold. Colder than she remembered. She hadn’t even dared to turn off the lights. If the room went pitch black, she might actually lose it. Just as the thought crossed her mind, the light bulb began flickering out of nowhere. A few sad flashes later, darkness swallowed the room. That kind of darkness? It lit up every alarm in her brain. She was more afraid of the dark than anyone she knew. And in that instant, every memory from when Lucian had locked her up came flooding back. Outside, in the freezing cold, Lucian stood quietly, just beyond her door. He kept staring at his phone, waiting. Stubbornly. He needed her to call. Maybe then he’d have some d