CHAPTER 33

I shut the novel I’d been reading, the soft thud of the cover closing echoing far too loudly in the quiet of the room. The words on the pages had blurred long ago—I hadn’t been paying attention anyway. My thoughts had been consumed with one thing, one person. Heinrich.

It was almost 10PM.

I glanced at the clock again, my brows knitting together with worry. He was supposed to be back hours ago. At first, I thought he’d just gotten caught up at work.

I slipped off the bed and padded down the long hallway, the silence swallowing my footsteps. The mansion was always so quiet, especially at night. But tonight, the silence was suffocating.

I found the butler in the hallway, just where I’d seen him a couple hours ago, seemingly glued to the same spot. He didn’t look surprised to see me.

“When is Heinrich coming back?” I asked again, though I already knew the answer.