*Ciana*

The air was chilly, more so than I had planned for. It was much warmer during the day, so I did not expect the temperature to drop so dramatically at night.

I had left my room about an hour ago to walk out here. My mind had been on the possibility of whether or not Theo would be here to meet me, so I hadn’t even thought about the chance that it would be cold.

Now, I was sitting on the steps of the pavilion, staring back at the palace, waiting.

I’d ...