Alexander's warning stayed with me like the cold touch of a blade. He didn't lock my door, but he didn't need to. The mansion was guarded, and his eyes were everywhere.
I waited until three in the morning. My only hope was the anonymous sender. I remembered a small phone number scribbled in tiny digits on the back of the envelope they had sent. I had hidden the scrap of paper in my shoe.
My heart was thumping so loud I was sure the security cameras could hear it. I used the burner phone I had managed to keep hidden in my luggage—the one Alexander's men hadn't found.
I dialed the number. It rang once. Twice.
"I was wondering when you'd call," a raspy, male voice answered. He didn't sound like a stranger; he sounded like someone who had been waiting for years.
"Who are you?" I whispered, hiding under the silk duvet. "How do you know about Isabella?"
"I'm the man who was supposed to take her away that night," he replied. "Alexander thinks he's a god, but even gods have blind spots. He's obsessed with you because you're his second chance to fix his greatest failure."
"He burned the diary," I said, my voice cracking. "He knows I know."
"Then you're in more danger than she was. Alexander won't let you disappear like her. He'll make sure you stay, even if it's in a gilded cage." The man paused. "Listen carefully. Tomorrow is the charity gala at the Blackwood Museum. It's the only time he'll let you out in public. At exactly 10 PM, go to the terrace overlooking the garden. There will be a black car waiting."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because I loved her, Elena. And I won't let him kill the same face twice."
Suddenly, the bedroom door clicked open. I shoved the phone under my pillow and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.
I felt the weight of the mattress shift. Alexander was sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn't say a word, but I could feel his gaze burning through me in the dark. He stayed there for what felt like hours, a silent predator watching his prey, before finally leaning down and whispering in my ear.
"Don't even dream of leaving me, Elena. I've already lost you once.