ELORA

I couldn’t breathe.

The moment we walked into the Grayson estate, something in me started to crack. The marble floor beneath my heels felt too smooth, too polished. Like it was trying to warn me I didn’t belong here.

And Rowen…

His scent clung to me—sharp, intoxicating, maddening. Even now, my skin tingled where his fingers had brushed my shoulder in the car. I hated how aware of him I was. Every move. Every look. Every word.

The foyer was grand. Too grand. A chandelier the size of my bedroom back home hung above us, glittering like a warning bell. Staff moved like shadows in the corners—quiet, efficient, unbothered....