Twenty-Six: The Gilded CageCecilia POVMy eyelids fluttered open to a world that didn't make sense. The ceiling above me stretched like an endless void, all sleek lines and recessed lights casting a soft, golden haze. Where the hell was I? My head throbbed, a dull ache pulsing behind my eyes, and my body felt heavy, like I'd been dragged through a nightmare and left to rot. The air was cool, scented with something dark and intoxicating. Wood smoke, leather, and a raw, masculine edge that tugged at the edges of my memory. Familiar, but wrong. This wasn't my room. No pastel walls, no stack of textbooks on the nightstand. Just this massive bed swallowing me whole, sheets like silk against my skin. Skin. Wait— I shifted, and the fabric whispered over me, too loose, too big. Panic clawed u
Last Updated : 2026-01-17 Read more