Rory's POV
The morning was calm as I dressed for school, pulling my polo over my head, fixing the collar twice just to delay the inevitable moment I would have to leave my room. My nerves buzzed in my chest, each beat a reminder of everything that had unraveled in the last few days. Since arriving here, it felt like time had no mercy, it twisted everything I thought I knew about myself into a tight knot.
When I finally stepped out of my room, I half-hoped I would find someone anyone downstairs but the mansion felt deserted. No Jaxon, no Damien.
Only my mother.
Celeste was sitting at the end of the dining table, her spine perfectly straight, a delicate cup of tea balanced in her fingers. Her eyes, however, were far from delicate. They cut into me the moment I entered the room, cold as
