Chapter Eighty Two
Venessa’s pov
The next morning, the estate felt less like a sanctuary and more like a beautifully gilded cage. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guest wing, but the warmth couldn't pierce the icy dread that had settled deep into my bones.
Mia was still asleep, sprawled out across the massive bed, her soft, even breathing the only comforting sound in the room. I slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake her, and pulled my silk robe tightly around myself. I needed a glass of water, or maybe just a moment to stare out at the sprawling manicured lawns to convince myself that the walls around me were real, that the security guards patrolling the perimeter were enough.
My phone, resting on the nightstand, buzzed.
It wasn't a ringtone. It
