Genevieve's POV
This felt like drowning in my own skin.
The thought hammered against my skull as I pressed myself against the ballroom wall. My fingers gripped an empty champagne flute so tightly the stem might snap. Everything around me felt brittle. Ready to shatter at the slightest pressure. Just like my resolve.
Of all the people Benedict could have chosen as his target, it had to be Kaelen. The one person who didn't deserve another betrayal. Another carefully orchestrated lie wrapped in false promises.
But Benedict's instructions had been brutally clear. The kind of clarity that left no room for misinterpretation or mercy.
Show up late. After I've had my fun messing with his head.
His text message burned in my memory. I'd memorized every word since stepping foot in the Valeska Estate. Each reading twisted my gut into tighter knots.
