Her eyes widened in sheer, paralyzing shock as they locked onto his. She snapped her gaze back to Cedric, recoiling another two steps as if his touch had left a physical burn. The thought clawed at her—the one thing she loathed above all else was the idea of him seeing her as a woman without a shred of morality, flitting from one man to another like a common flirt.
The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place with a sickening snap. This was Elvira's design from the very beginning, a masterwork of ruin, and it was painfully clear that Cedric was her willing accomplice.
"Matthias, I..." The words died in her throat. She watched him stride toward her, his silhouette cutting a jagged line through the darkness. It was too late. The time for explanations had been swallowed by the shadows.
