The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 454

Paris, 11th arrondissement. The old apartment building, room 401.

The curtains were drawn tight, leaving the room shrouded in shadows. Lyra Langford leaned against the headboard, her phone gripped tightly in her hand, staring at the message she had just sent. She had been glaring at that chat bubble for so long that the screen kept timing out. She would tap it alive, let it dim, and tap it again.

No reply. Not a single word.

She tossed the phone onto the bed, threw off the covers, and padded barefoot to the window. Yanking the curtains back, the sudden glare of the afternoon sun forced her to squint. She stood there, gazing down at the empty street below. An occasional car rolled by, a lone pedestrian walked past, but no one stopped beneath her window. No one looked up.

Her phone lay silent on the mattress, its screen utterly black.

She walked back over and checked it again. Still nothing. Dropping it, she moved to the kitchen island and poured herself a glass of water. It was ice-cold. She took a sip, the chill unsettling her stomach. She carried the glass back to the window and took another sip. The sun warmed her face, but her chest felt entirely hollow.

The phone suddenly chimed.

A sharp smile instantly tugged at the corners of Lyra's mouth. She set the glass down, practically lunging across the room to grab the device. The screen glowed with a new notification. Her finger hovered over the glass, taking a deep breath before tapping it open.