“If you run again, O’Neal, I’ll make sure there’s nowhere left for you to hide.”

~$~

The hallways of the Cuss mansion don’t feel like home. They never did. But tonight—they feel like a coffin.

The shadows stretch longer, the air’s colder, and every polished step under my feet echoes like a death sentence.

Each step I take is heavier than the last. My heels click softly against the marble floors, but in my ears, the sound is deafening. A reminder. Of failure. Of fear.

I almost made it.

I almost ran.

But Adele—of course it was Adele—had eyes where I didn’t expect them. She was waiting at the exit,...