Violet POV

The house was too quiet when Antonio and I stepped in. The air conditioner was off, there was no noise coming from the kitchen. The guards had been off duty enjoying their lunch break it seems.

Still, I did not like the chill that crawled up my spine, something felt wrong, very wrong.

The faint echoes of our footsteps seemed too loud in the empty house, and I immediately felt the urge to check on Dalma. She had locked herself in her room earlier, sulking after our argument. But now, the silence was suffocating, and I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in my stomach.

“Dalma?” I called out, my voice thin as it traveled through the empty hallway.

Antonio walked ahead, his body tense as he scanned the area. “Something’s off,” he muttered, stating the obvious, eyes narrowing as we approached Dalma’s door.

I nodded, my heart racing. As we neared her room, I saw it—the door was slightly ajar, the frame cracked as though it had been forced open. Antonio noticed it too, and his ex