Islinda's fingers twitched as she fought the overwhelming urge to reach for the pendant hanging around her neck. It was a reflex, a desperate instinct to protect the one thing that could expose her for what she truly was.
But she knew better—any sudden movement would only draw suspicion, and Andre was not someone to miss even the slightest detail. Instead, she forced herself to remain still, holding her breath as his fingers brushed against it.
The room seemed to shrink around her, every second stretching into an eternity as Andre's hand lingered on the pendant. He was so close, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he examined the necklace. Islinda's heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears like a drum. She was taking a massive gamble by letting him touch it, praying silently that he wouldn't attempt to remove it. Or worse, feel something.
