Isabel POV
I've always heard that silence can be deafening, but I never truly understood it until now. The quiet in Miguel's penthouse was suffocating, broken only by the distant hum of the city below. Miguel leaned against the window, his back to me, staring out at the glittering skyline as if searching for answers among the lights. Alex was perched on the armrest of a chair, while I sat on the couch, clutching the small key in my hands.
My mind spun with questions I couldn't answer, doubts I couldn't silence, and fear I couldn't shake.
"We need to move," Miguel said finally, his voice breaking the tense silence. "Gideon's not going to stop. If we wait, we're giving him the upper hand."
"Move where?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
Miguel turned to face me. "Wherever that key takes us."
"And how exactly do we figure that out?" Alex interjected. "Unless one of you has a map stashed somewhere, we're running blind."
