The car rolled to a stop in front of Blackwood Mansion, and before the driver even cut the engine, Tessa was out. She didn’t walk—she bolted.

Her heels smacked against the marble, one nearly slipping off as she ran up the staircase. Her breath came in sharp, panicked bursts as she fumbled with her bedroom door and shoved it open with a force that shook the hinges.

She didn’t bother turning on the light.

The dress came off first—yanked down her hips, ripped at the zipper, and thrown somewhere across the room.

Her necklace tangled in her fingers before she tore it off. Her shoes hit opposite walls. Everything smelled...