~CHAPTER TWENTY ONE~
I wake up alone.
The first thing I notice is the silence, too soft, too intentional, like the room itself is pretending it didn’t witness last night’s humiliation.
Hardin is gone. The sheets beside me are cold, untouched, as if he didn’t even consider lying close.
I sit up slowly, the silk sheets sliding off my body, and finally take in the room properly.
It’s… surreal.
Floor-to-ceiling windows draped with sheer gold curtains.
A chandelier dripping with crystal above me. Velvet sofas. A marble fireplace. The kind of room queens sleep in and somehow I’m supposed to live here now.
It should feel magical.
Instead it feels like a luxury cage.
“A miserable night in a royal suite,” I mutter under my breath. “Perfect.”
My eyes fall on something small tucked under
