MATHILDA'S POV
A loud knock on the door jolted me awake at two in the morning. My heart instantly raced with fear-what if something had happened to my father? News that comes in the middle of the night is never good news.
"Yes, I'm coming," I called softly, clutching the edge of my pajama top to steady my trembling hands. My pulse thudded painfully in my chest as I whispered a silent prayer. Please, God, let this not be about my father.
When the door opened, the last person I expected to see was standing there. Fredric. His cold, unreadable face filled the doorway as he stepped inside without hesitation-just as he had barged into my room at seven last night.
"Mathilda," he said flatly, "I want to marry you. Forget everything I said before-we should get married."
A flash of lightning l
