The mansion was quiet when Camilla returned. The kind of silence that felt like the world was holding its breath.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside, her movements slow and lazy. A few maids greeted her softly, but she didn’t hear a single word. Her mind was wandering somewhere far away.

She climbed the staircase one slow step at a time.

Her legs felt too heavy, her chest felt too tight. The world felt too cruel.

By the time she reached the corridor that led to her room, her gave ...