[Evelina's POV—Vinter Mansion—That Night]
Night fell without ceremony.
No storm. No dramatic thunder. Just the slow sinking of the sun behind iron gates and taller walls—like the world itself deciding it didn't want to witness what this place contained.
The Hartgraves were gone.
Driven away by silence, by refusal, by the simple fact that the gates never opened again.
I stood at the window of my assigned room, watching the last trace of daylight bleed into black. The glass reflected my face faintly—paler than usual, eyes sharper, steadier. Someone who had already crossed too many lines to pretend innocence still mattered.
Theo Vinter.
How should I form a bond with him? Do I need to charm him? Manipulate him? Mirror his obsession until it mistakes itself for love?
Or is it already too late for strategy? Or...did I already charm him?
The thought unsettled me more than I liked.
Knock. Knock.
"Miss…" Rowan's voice cut cleanly through my spiral.
"Come in," I said.
