The walls of Jace's mansion hadn't changed. Same marble floors, same dim lighting, same air that smelled faintly of expensive whiskey and something darker - him. The familiarity of it all was suffocating, like being dragged back into a nightmare I thought I had clawed my way out of.
I hated everything it reminded me of.
I had sworn I'd never set foot in this place again. Yet here I was, stripped of my freedom, bound by a man who refused to let me go.
And the worst part? Some traitorous part of me wasn't just furious. It was trembling. Because being back here felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. It was dangerous, but familiar enough to make me remember what it was like to fall.
I hated myself for that.
