Alice’s POV
We walked to the back of the hall, where dressing and fittings used to happen. I led him through all my secret hideouts—little corners where I used to disappear during endless games of hide and seek in the estate.
“There was one time I hid in the dressing closet,” I said, pointing to a narrow door. “It got locked from the outside. I cried my eyes out.”
I shook my head, half-laughing. “Thank God there was a show that day.”
“How did you come out.”
“Someone heard me crying. Dad didn’t bring me back to the estate the entire week.”
He raised a brow. “You were rebellious.”
“Something like that.”
“You still are.”
“No. I’m far from that now. I’m grown.”
“It wasn’t a question. It was an observation.”
“Well, you observed wrong.”
He looked at me, and I swore there was a faint
