Juliette’s POV
The moment the mask slipped, my mind screamed in disbelief. That face… it belonged to someone I never thought I would see again, someone I had buried in fragments of memory I had tried to forget. My chest tightened, panic and recognition twisting together like a knife. My wrists burned where the chains bit into my skin, but I barely noticed. All I could do was stare, struggling to breathe as every instinct screamed danger.
“Why…” I whispered, my voice trembling, “…why are you here?” My eyes burned with a mix of fear and fury. “What do you want from me?”
The intruder’s laugh was soft, almost intimate, and it sent shivers down my spine. “You always ask why, Juliette. Always searching for reasons. I am here because it is time for you to remember. Time for the truth to surfac
