The parchment trembled in Camilla's hands, though she tried to steady her grip. The words seemed to etch themselves deeper the longer she stared at them — as if the warning carried more weight than the ink could hold.
The man didn't wait for her reply. He tipped his hat in mock politeness, then turned, disappearing into the trees without a single backward glance.
"Miss?" the driver called, unease creeping into his voice.
Camilla folded the note, tucking it into the folds of her gown as if hiding it could erase it. "It's nothing," she lied, forcing her voice to be even. "Let's go."
But it was everything.
The road ahead blurred into meaningless color. She tried to imagine telling Xavier — his jaw tightening, his temper sparking. He wouldn't ignore something like this. But if he came after whoever had sent it… what would happen? And who else might get hurt?
She clenched her fists. She had promised him she'd come back, but this? This was the kind of threat that didn't just vanish if you ignored it.
By the time she arrived at her family's estate, her smile felt brittle. Her mother greeted her at the steps, arms open wide, but even as she embraced her, Camilla's mind wasn't in the moment.
That night, she sat at her desk with a single candle burning, the folded parchment before her. She smoothed it flat and read the words again. Stay away from him. Or you'll regret it.
It could have been a bluff. Or it could be the first move in something much larger — something meant to scare her away for good.
Her pen hovered over paper, an unfinished letter to Xavier waiting for her to decide. Tell him? Or protect him by keeping silent?
The decision twisted inside her like a blade.
And then — a soft rap on her window.
Her head snapped up, heart pounding.
A shadow moved outside in the garden, just beyond the candle's reach.