“No, thank you,” I said, though I wasn’t sure how we’d arrange our transport.
Montego scoffed. “Nonsense! I insist. You two must be exhausted. It’s midnight, and I won’t have you wandering about like lost souls.” He straightened in his seat. “I’ll send my driver for you later. He’ll bring you safely to my home, where you can rest. Sleep all day tomorrow if you like—I don’t mind.”
“Thank you, Count Montego,” I said, remaining polite but insisting, “but we’ll manage.”
Montego exhaled dramatically, shaking his head. “Very well. I can admit defeat… so long as I get my way.” His eyes twinkled mischievously, and despite myself, I chuckled.
“I will expect you at my home in the morning,” he declared as I stepped out of the carriage.
“As you wish,” I said, adding a playful, formal bow.
Then, I turned and reached for Olivia, helping her out of the coach before closing the door behind her.
The carriage rolled away, its wheels kicking up dust as Montego disappeared into the night.
It was time to find Malik.
And finally, get some answers.
As Olivia and I approached the towering entrance, I murmured, “We have much to discuss, amore mio. There is so much I need to tell you.”
Olivia glanced at me, something unreadable showing in her eyes. “Same here. Wait until you hear about Marcellious.”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further as we climbed the steps to Malik’s fine home.
Above us, the sky was a milky expanse, the world suspended in the hush of deep night—that strange, weightless hour where reality blurred between dreams and wakefulness.
Olivia opened the door carefully, stepping inside on silent feet.
I followed, every nerve on edge—partially from the chaos of the last few hours, partially from the anticipation of seeing Malik.
A soft clatter echoed from somewhere upstairs.
Olivia and I exchanged glances, then moved toward the staircase, our steps soundless against the polished floor.
At the top of the landing, a thin beam of light cut across the deep red rug that stretched down the corridor. It spilled from a partially open door.
“That’s Malik’s room,” Olivia whispered.
We advanced with stealth, our breath tight in our chests.
I could hear my heartbeat hammering like a war drum.
I was about to meet the man I’d dreamed of countless times.
The man who had saved me.
The man who had somehow always been there, even when I didn’t know how or why.
Then—
A voice drifted through the sliver of light.
A man’s voice.
Soft, low, crooning a lullaby.
My spine stiffened.
