She’s not done. She’s just starting. Herman, blissfully unaware of the undercurrent, handed Silea a glass of champagne. She accepted it with a practiced elegance, and Aurelia’s skin prickled at the casual intimacy of the exchange. When Silea adjusted his tie slightly as he lifted the glass in a toa
The music had swelled again after the brief silence Silea’s entrance had cast, but it felt thinner somehow, hollowed of its warmth. Guests resumed their chatter, but Aurelia noticed the small pauses, the slight tightening of shoulders, the way some whispered glances trailed the newcomer like shadows
Three Years Later The Vance estate looked different now. The gardens had grown wilder, richer; the marble fountain had been restored, its waters clear and bright under the afternoon sun. The hall that once hosted Aurelia’s birthday now glittered again, this time for her engagement celebration —
The night breeze still lingered against Aurelia’s skin when they finally turned back toward the grand double doors of the Ambrose estate. Her fingers brushed the ruby locket at her throat — warm still, as though echoing the heartbeat that refused to slow. Theo walked beside her, silent. Neither spok
Aurelia’s heart plummeted. The night seemed to close in around her, the air too thick to breathe. “No…” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, no, that can’t— She wrote to me once. Right after you left. She said she missed me. She said she’d send me sweets again when I came to visit.” Theo gave a sm
The silence between them stretched, fragile but charged. The air felt thicker now, like the world itself held its breath, waiting to see which of them would speak first. Theo’s gaze lingered on her, no longer teasing — there was a gravity in his expression that unsettled her far more than his earli