CHAPTER 10 The Edge of Deception

　　The days following her intense encounter with Edmund were a blur for Angela. The weight of their secret seemed to press on her from all sides, making every breath feel heavier, every step a calculated move. She spent most of her time locked in her room, avoiding conversations with her mother, and pretending that everything was normal. But she knew better, nothing was normal anymore.

　　Her phone buzzed with messages from Edmund, cryptic and demanding in their tone. She read them obsessively, each one drawing her further into the maze of their forbidden relationship, even as part of her longed to escape.

　　"I'll be home late tonight. Don't ask questions. We need to talk."

　　Angela's stomach knotted at the message. He was always cryptic, always controlling, but there was something different in his words this time. Something darker.