Chapter 11: The Gala Announcement
I had spent the entire night trying to convince myself the words on the back of the photograph meant something else.
They didn't. Every time I closed my eyes, six words rose from the darkness all over again.
She was never supposed to survive.
The photograph was still in my hands when Adrian found me in the library, morning light spilling weakly through the tall windows. Adrian stopped a few feet away, his eyes lingering briefly on the untouched cup of tea beside me before settling on the photograph still clutched between my fingers.
"Didn't sleep?" he asked, settling into the chair across from me without reaching for the photograph.
"Does anyone in this house?" I said, offering a tired smile.
Something eased in his expression, small and genuine. Nei
