Katelyn stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowing. “Khalid,” she asked, her voice tinged with confusion. “Have you seen Ashlyn?”

Khalid’s face twisted with gloom, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper. “Katelyn,” he said, his tone urgent. “Take good care of her. I’m heading back downtown.”

Her eyes flicked to the suitcase he was dragging behind him. Her confusion deepened. It was clear Khalid had planned to stay the night—so why was he leaving now?

Katelyn opened her mouth to press him further, but Khalid was already striding toward the door, suitcase in hand. He didn’t give her a chance to ask another question.

Left standing in the hallway, Katelyn felt a wave of apprehension wash over her. What on earth was going on?

Katelyn’s gaze instinctively darted to Vincent, who stood downstairs. Their eyes met, but neither had answers to offer.

Her brow furrowed deeper. “Guess I’ll have to ask Ashlyn myself,” she thought. Without a word, she turned and made her way to Ashlyn’s room.

Katelyn knocked on the door gently. The sharp sound echoed in the hallway, amplifying the knot of worry tightening in her chest.

“Ashlyn, it’s me,” she called out, deciding to cut straight to the chase.

Her sharp hearing picked up a faint rustling from inside the room. “Good, she’s here,” Katelyn thought, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. As long as Ashlyn was safe, everything else could wait.

“Ashlyn,” she said again, her voice firmer this time, “I need to talk to you. Open the door.”

Just as Katelyn began to wonder what else to say, the door creaked open. But the moment she saw Ashlyn, she froze. Ashlyn’s eyes were puffy and red, her cheeks streaked with tears. She’d clearly been crying—hard.

: gν﹒

Katelyn’s eyebrows furrowed, her face softening with concern. “Ashlyn,” she said gently, her voice soft but insistent. “What happened? Why are you crying?”

Before Katelyn could say more, Ashlyn stepped aside, motioning for her to come in. Ashlyn quickly closed the door behind them, leaving Katelyn even more confused.

Without warning, Ashlyn threw her arms around Katelyn, her body shaking with loud, gut-wrenching sobs.

Katelyn froze, her mind racing to piece together what had happened. But seeing Ashlyn so utterly broken, her heart ached. She wrapped her arms around Ashlyn, gently patting her back. “I’m here,” she murmured softly. “Don’t be afraid.”

Though Katelyn had no idea what had happened, she knew one thing for certain—Ashlyn needed comfort, and that came first.

For now, she stayed quiet, holding Ashlyn close. The rest would have to wait until Ashlyn’s emotions calmed down before Katelyn asked the questions.

Ashlyn cried for what felt like an eternity, her sobs raw and unrelenting. By the time her tears began to slow, her voice was hoarse and strained. Even as she tried to stop, the tears kept coming, her body shaking with each uncontrollable sob.

Katelyn’s heart ached as she watched. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a throat lozenge and held it out to Ashlyn. “Here,” she said softly. “Take this. It’ll help your throat.”

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