She ate slowly.
Carefully.
As if every bite needed to be remembered.
The food was warm, fresh, and far better than anything she had tasted in a long time. The flavors lingered on her tongue, unfamiliar yet comforting.
For a brief moment—
She allowed herself to enjoy it.
But her thoughts didn't stay quiet for long.
They drifted back to Alex's words.
You are not allowed to leave the mansion.
Even the balcony.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the spoon.
It wasn't said harshly.
But it didn't need to be.
The meaning was clear.
This place had boundaries.
And she was expected to follow them.
She placed the tray aside once she finished, her appetite gone as quickly as it came.
Slowly, she stood up and walked toward the wardrobe.
Her steps were lighter now, but her mind remained restless.
She opened it carefully.
Inside, neatly arranged, were clothes.
Many of them.
Different colors.
Different styles.
All untouched.
All waiting.
Her breath hitched slightly.
These were for her.
She hesitated for a moment before reaching out and picking a simple, modest frock. The fabric felt soft under her fingers.
Too soft.
Too new.
She held it close before turning toward the bathroom.
The moment she stepped inside—
She froze.
Everything looked unfamiliar.
Too modern.
Too complicated.
Her eyes moved across the space, trying to understand what was what. Small details she had never seen before surrounded her.
For a second, she felt out of place again.
Lost.
But then—
Her gaze caught something.
A folded paper.
Placed neatly on the counter.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Slowly, she stepped closer.
Her fingers hovered over it before finally picking it up.
The paper felt light.
But something about it made her heartbeat quicken.
She unfolded it carefully.
And froze.
Her eyes scanned the page.
Line by line.
It wasn't random.
It wasn't meaningless.
It was—
Instructions.
Clear.
Simple.
Detailed explanations of everything inside the bathroom.
How to use the shower.
The taps.
Even the smallest things she wouldn't have understood on her own.
Her breath turned uneven as she read further.
Each word written with careful thought.
As if someone had taken their time.
Just for her.
Her grip on the paper tightened slightly.
Then—
Her eyes moved to the bottom.
And everything stopped.
A name.
Written clearly.
Adrian Volkov.
Her heart skipped.
That name—
It didn't feel unfamiliar.
It felt…
Heavy.
Important.
She swallowed softly, her fingers clutching the paper closer to her chest.
"He… wrote this for me…"
The whisper left her lips before she could stop it.
Her mind struggled to process it.
He had thought about this.
About her.
About what she wouldn't understand.
About what she might need.
And he had prepared everything beforehand.
Without saying a word.
Without expecting anything.
Her chest tightened again.
But this time—
It wasn't confusion.
It was something deeper.
Something she couldn't explain.
But then—
A thought crossed her mind.
Sudden.
Sharp.
Unsettling.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Did he come here last night?"
The question echoed in her head.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Because she had been asleep.
Unaware.
Completely vulnerable.
And if he had come—
She wouldn't have known.
Her fingers tightened around the paper.
A strange feeling crept into her chest.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
But something close to it.
Something mixed with something else.
Something dangerous.
Because if it was true—
Then it meant one thing.
There was no moment here—
Where he wasn't aware of her.
Where he wasn't watching.
Where he wasn't—
Present.
She slowly lowered the paper, her gaze drifting toward the door.
The silence around her felt different now.
Heavier.
Closer.
As if the distance between them—
Was never as far as she had believed.
And for the first time—
The thought didn't just unsettle her.
It made her heart race.
In a way she didn't understand.