Liam's P.O.V.
I woke up to a hollow space beside me. The bed was cold where Mai should have been.
At first, I thought she had just shifted in her sleep, maybe gotten up for a drink of water or she had gone to the bathroom. But then the silence pressed in—thick, heavy, unnatural. The air felt stiff, charged with something I couldn't name. And then, I heard it.
A voice. Soft, low, almost a whisper.
Mai was talking to someone.
Sleep fled instantly as a prickle of unease crawled down my spine. No one else should be in the room but us.
I swung my legs over the bed, moving on instinct, barefoot steps soundless on the wooden floor. The faint glow of the bathroom light spilled from the crack beneath the door. My pulse quickened.
"Mai?" I knocked, voice steady despite the unease creeping in. "Who are you talking to?"
No response. Just silence, thick as fog.
A tight knot formed in my stomach. I gritted my teeth. "Mai." Sharper now. "Are you okay?"
Still nothing.
