Chapter 37: Official

It had been weeks since the engagement and the funeral. And although the entire world knew that I was engaged to Nicholas thanks to the announcement he’d made, in reality, I did not feel engaged to him at all. We hardly got the chance to see one another with him off with Theo and Ophelia, trying to make good on the promises that were given− freedom to the children. They were constantly in meetings and a lot of the time they were away from home. I suppose somewhere in my mind I assumed that I’d be going along with them wherever they went, like a well-running team. But they were so worried about my safety and sanity that they instead kept me locked away. Melissa and the rest of my friends had been dismissed from the house, though they were still paid each and every week. The only people I’d been left with were the guards who stood outside and Kiyan. He’d begun to come and visit the house more often, making my loneliness his excuse. But I suspected there was another reason…

“For someone