Vanessa's POV

The tires screeched over the gravel as the car rolled through the Blackwood gates, the sound was sharp and unrelenting, far louder than Vanessa remembered it ever being. She sat rigid in the back seat, hands folded neatly in her lap, back stiff against the leather. The gates closed behind them with a heavy finality and the sound of the iron made her flinch despite herself.

Vanessa noticed everything now. The way the fountain’s water splashed too loudly, the way the ...