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The moment Adeline realised they were free to explore, she bolted.

With everyone dead, there was no reason to hesitate—except for the very annoying man trailing behind her.

She ignored Edward and focused on her goal: the letters she found earlier. She had many questions in her mind but she was not going to get any answers. How did these people know about the story? She knew the author held secrets, was this related to them?

Her heart pounded as she hurried down the dimly lit hallway, her mind repeating a single thought over and over:

Edward cannot know.

It wasn't just that she didn't want him to find out—it felt like something was forcing this idea into her mind, like a warning she couldn't shake.

Edward should never know that this was just a story.

At any cost.

It was almost like an instinct, something hammered into her brain so thoroughly that it became an undeniable truth.