KLAUS’S POV
The party had been a lie, and it didn’t take long for me to realize it. All I had to do was look past the fake smiles and kisses to see the real picture.
Everyone thought I’d left—good. Let them believe it. But the moment I stepped outside, the cold night air did nothing to ease the tightness in my chest. Something was wrong. The way Gina had avoided my gaze all evening, the forced smile that never reached her eyes, the way Grayson hovered over her like a vulture—none of it sat right with me.
So I stayed. I melted into the shadows of the grand hallway, unnoticed, my instincts screaming at me to wait, to watch. And when the opportunity came, I seized it.
A servant girl scurried past, her arms laden with empty trays. I caught her wrist, pulling her into the darkened alcove. H
