Tessa's POV:My alarm went off too early, shrill and insistent, like a drill sergeant predawn.I groaned, burying my face in the pillow, letting my muscles melt into the mattress.College.My first real day of college classes.No more visiting the admissions office, no more trying to memorize building names.Today, I was a student.I dragged myself upright, heart pounding in a nervous flutter, and ran a shaky hand through my hair.Benjamin had made me promise to call him if I needed anything today.He’d spent the whole evening yesterday fussing about my lunch, my class schedule, and how to pack my bag, acting like I was five years old.It was… sweet.Comforting.And just a little smothering.But I couldn’t deny that a piece of me loved the fussing.After all, no one had ever cared so completely about whether I had enough pens or if my shoes were comfortable.I dressed carefully, pulling on one of the new pastel blouses Benjamin had gotten me, pairing it with soft jeans and the clean w
Tessa’s POV:I don’t know when it started.Maybe it was that night Benjamin brushed a lock of hair behind my ear and pressed a soft, searching kiss to my lips.It was only a kiss. No, it was everything.It happened so simply, so gently. I’d been studying in the kitchen while he elegantly had fried chicken wings beside me, my notes spread across the kitchen table, and I’d laughed at something he’d said.Benjamin had looked at me then, the laughter fading from his face, and before I could think, he’d leaned in and kissed me.A soft, careful press of his mouth against mine.I had felt it through every nerve ending, like lightning, like a chord pulled taut that I hadn’t even known was waiting to snap.When he drew back, his blue eyes wide, afraid he’d crossed a line, I couldn’t even speak.But I didn’t push him away.I couldn’t.Instead, I touched my lips, breathless, my heart slamming so hard I thought I might faint.In the days after, we’d both tried to act normal.Benjamin went back to
Tessa's POV:If someone had told me, back when I was seventeen, that one day I’d get to stroll through fancy boutique windows without worrying about prices, I’d have laughed in their face.If they’d told me Benjamin would be the one gently tugging me along, promising me anything I wanted, well, I might have cried.But here I was.In the sun-warmed street, watching shoppers hurry by with arms full of packages, I let the moment sink into me like warm honey.Benjamin strolled at my side, casual and confident, as if the entire world existed just to let him spoil me.“Where do you want to start?” he asked, that teasing glint in his blue eyes.I tried to answer, but the words tangled up in my throat. I’d never had options before.I was used to being handed clothes. Told what to wear, what to do, and who to belong to.Now, Benjamin waited patiently, not rushing me, not pushing me, just letting me breathe.I took a shaky breath. “Maybe… clothes first?”He smiled. “Perfect. Lead the way.”I le
Noah's POV: I’d never believed in ghosts.Not the kind that rattled chains in the night or moaned behind locked doors, anyway.But the moment I saw her standing in the courtyard, staring up at the results board with tears streaking her cheeks, I felt like I’d seen one.Tessa.Except… she wasn’t a ghost.She was real.Alive.And somehow, impossibly, she could see.I’d heard things, rumors whispered among the pack. That Lucian Moonstone had bought a blind girl from some desperate stepmother. A part of me, a shameful, hidden part of me, thought she had died. That Lucian had torn her apart the way he tore apart so many others.And yet there she was.Not broken.Not bleeding.Shining, even.Her hair gleamed in the sunlight, tied back with a simple ribbon, and her eyes, those eyes that had once stared blankly into nothing, were sharp and bright, scanning the names with a confidence that stole my breath.It didn’t feel fair.It didn’t feel real.And somehow, even in that stunned moment, I
Tessa's POV: He rolled up the sleeves of his perfectly tailored shirt, while I tied back my hair with a ribbon.There was something oddly freeing about standing at a polished marble counter, flour in one bowl, sugar in another, without worrying about psychological theories or essay prompts.“Okay,” Benjamin announced dramatically, “tonight, we make pancakes.”I tried not to giggle. “Why pancakes?”“Because they’re impossible to ruin,” he said confidently. “Probably.”The kitchen soon turned into the most delightful disaster.He handed me the measuring cup, but I got the proportions backward, so the batter turned out like soup.Then he tried to flip a pancake, and it went flying halfway across the room, sticking to a cupboard with a comedic splat.I shrieked with laughter.Benjamin laughed, too, laughing so hard he bent over the counter, shoulders shaking.The house staff poked their heads in once, took one horrified look at the flour-dusted war zone, and wisely backed away.My face h
Tessa's POV: The days leading up to and after the enrollment exam were some of the most challenging days of my life.I’d always thought of myself as clever, even when the world had treated me like something small and fragile. I remembered overhearing my stepmother whisper, She’s blind but so bright, and the pride had flared in my chest even as a little girl.But standing in front of a stack of brand-new textbooks, sharpened pencils, fresh notebooks, and shiny practice tests, my hands trembled a little as I picked up the thickest book from the pile, Introduction to General Psychology, the pages clean and perfect, smelling of fresh ink and opportunity.Benjamin had done everything to give me the best shot.He’d hired three different tutors who rotated throughout the day. They were patient and gentle, never raising their voices no matter how many times I stumbled over concepts.They told me I was smart, that I only needed to polish the basics, and that I could absolutely pass.The tutor