Chapter 1530

Sophie's fingers trembled in his grasp.

The clearing behind her had grown hushed, not with silence, but with something deeper - an unspoken anticipation that settled over the group like thick mist. Jude's hand closed gently around hers, grounding, steady, and she didn't pull away. Her eyes searched his face, and what she saw there made her breath catch.

It was still him. Still the man who held her through restless nights, still the lover who whispered promises into her skin. But something was different. Not lost - no, never lost - but added. Like another chord in a melody. Another depth in a voice she'd memorized long ago.

He didn't speak.

He simply stepped closer, guiding her by the hand, until she was close enough to feel the warmth of his breath. Lucy stepped aside, her gaze locked on Jude, then shifted to Sophie with a glimmer of understanding. Not permission. Not warning. Just presence.