Chapter 154

Victor's POV

Alone in my study, I sat by the low crackling fire, its flickering light creating long shadows on the walls. Despite the flames, I couldn't shake off the chill. My hands were tightly clenched on the edge of the desk, and my mind refused to quiet.

For some weird reason, the image of Dimitri's face when I took her to his house kept haunting me.

I think she said her name was…. ahh, yes. Mirella.

The woman who wore Selene’s face like it belonged to her. The one who tried too hard to smile the way Selene used to, who tilted her head the same, and blinked slowly like she was soft.

But she wasn’t Selene. She would never be her.

Everything about Mirella made my stomach twist. Her voice. Her perfume. Her need to be seen.

And yet, I kept her.

Not because I wanted her. But because I needed her.

I needed her to help me dig into Dimitri’s secrets. To watch how he moved around her, what he let slip when he thought I was too distracted to notice. Mirella was the crack in his shield, an