Sebastian’s POV

The rain had started again, soft but steady. It tapped against my window like quiet knocks, each drop louder than the one before. I sat at my desk, pretending to work, but my mind wasn’t on the papers spread before me. It was on her.

Elizabeth.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face under that tree behind the library — the way her eyes looked at me, unsure but full of something real. I’d told myself to keep away, that what we shared was too dangerous. But I ...