Chapter 1268
Later, when she lay curled against his chest, her breathing steady and warm, Jude looked out through the open window.
And there, beyond the trees, he saw her.
Rose.
Standing half in shadow.
Naked. Dripping. Still.
Her black eyes met his, and she smiled softly - not cruelly this time. Not like the others.
Like her.
And then she vanished into the dark.
He didn’t wake Lucy. He just lay there, holding her tighter, wondering if that smile had been a warning.
Or a goodbye.
Jude didn’t sleep again that night. Even as Lucy’s breathing remained soft against his chest, his eyes stayed locked on the tree line, watching for any flicker of movement, any sign that Rose might still be there. But the jungle had swallowed her whole once again, leaving nothing but the memory of her black eyes and that strange, sad smile behind. When morning finally came, it was veiled in a thick mist that made the trees appear like ghosts, tall and wavering. No birds sang. No breeze stirred the branches. The silence was a weight that settled over the entire camp.