The silence of the mansion had changed shape. It wasn’t peaceful. It wasn’t soothing. It clung to Selena’s skin like damp fog, thick and inescapable. Every sound echoed louder now — the creak of old wood, the tick of a grandfather clock, the sound of her own breath catching in her throat when she thought she was alone.
But she was never truly alone. Not anymore.
Alec’s presence lingered like smoke, even when he wasn’t in the room. It lived in the scent of his cologne on her pillows, in the chill left behind on the doorknob after he closed it, in the phantom touch of his hands around her waist. He had become her world — not by invitation, but by force. A beautiful prison carved out of marble and gold, filled with luxury she couldn’t enjoy and silence she couldn’t escape.
Selena no longer
