Dorian sat in his study, one leg crossed over the other, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. A low laugh escaped him, growing louder until it echoed through the room.
"So, this is what you wanted, Katerina." He shook his head with a smile that never reached his eyes. "Even in this life... you chose him."
"I almost believed you."
He leaned back, replaying every smile she had given him over the past weeks. Every gentle word, every lingering glance, every touch had been nothing more than another move on her chessboard. She had almost convinced him she had finally accepted her place beside him.
Almost.
A scoff escaped him.
"You were clever enough to fool everyone else." His smile slowly widened. "But you forgot who you were playing against."
He had accounted for this long ago. He had suspected her request to visit her father from the beginning. A dying father was a convenient excuse. She wasn't testing his compassion. She was testing the limits of his control.
