Chapter 3

Declan did not answer right away.

Waiting was no longer one of my habits.

At the bottom of the hall trash can, the silver key lay still. Seven years ago, when Roman placed it in my palm, I thought a home had finally found me.

Throwing it away should have hurt.

Instead, the weight left my chest.

Vivian arrived before I had been back in the top-floor suite for long.

She had changed into another silver-white dress. The obsidian wolf pendant sat outside her collar on purpose. Behind her stood the butler, the accountant, and several main house servants.

She looked very pleased with herself.

Her fingers brushed the pendant as she smiled at me from the doorway.

"Serena, Roman said that if I am taking over the Consort's place, I should start with the main house."

Her voice grew softer.

"So from today on, I will manage the study, the accounts, the storage rooms, and the banquet lists."

Behind her, the butler held a silver tray.

On it sat my access badge, account keys, study pass, and a main house nameplate with Serena Vale written across it.

So this was not a discussion.

This was notice.

For seven years, Calder had never publicly recognized me. But everyone in the main house knew which door needed my nod, which account book had to reach my desk first, and which old grudges had to be kept apart at every dinner.

Now Vivian could take it all back with one sentence.

No fight came from me.

"Fine."

Vivian had been waiting for me to lose control. That single word made her pause.

Then her smile returned. She lifted the nameplate from the silver tray.

The duty board hung at the end of the hall.

My name had been there.

In front of everyone, Vivian removed Serena Vale and replaced it with Vivian Cross.

The metal plate fell back onto the tray with a soft sound.

The closet door opened under my hand.

A black travel bag came out.

Jewels, bags, and gowns stayed where they were. Every gift from Roman remained in perfect order.

Only basic clothes and documents went into the bag.

When the zipper closed, the phone vibrated.

Declan's message had arrived.

"Serena Vale's records are being erased. After midnight, that name will no longer exist."

The words stayed on the screen for a few seconds before the phone went into my pocket.

From today on, the Serena who cleaned up every mess for Roman Calder would begin to disappear too.

Snow started falling that evening.

The travel bag was in my hand when I went downstairs to collect one last access file from the study.

At the inner door, a guard stopped me.

His head stayed lowered.

"Sorry, Miss Serena. Miss Vivian said your access is paused until the main house permissions are recounted."

My eyes moved to the door.

For seven years, I had used it to send away wounded men, bring in family doctors, and pass Roman's orders at three in the morning.

Now it would not open for me.

The guard was not the one who deserved trouble.

The travel bag stayed in my hand as I stood beneath the main house portico.

Wind pushed snow between the columns. The bandage around my ankle had not been changed. Snow water soaked the white edge until red began to show through.

Roman returned to the manor after dark.

His car stopped below the steps. The door opened, and his face sank the moment he saw me.

"What are you performing now?"

His steps came fast. His eyes swept over the travel bag, and anger pressed into his voice.

"Vivian is only taking over the main house. You are standing out here to make me look cruel?"

"My access is paused," I said. "I cannot go in. If this place is empty for me, I can stand anywhere."

Something in that answer set him off.

Roman crossed the steps and locked his hand around my wrist.

The pull made me stumble. My ankle struck the edge of the step, and the wound tore open again. Pain rose from the bone, sharp enough to pull a small breath from me.

Roman's hand stopped.

His eyes dropped to my ankle.

The temporary bandage had bled through. Several glass cuts showed red against the skin.

His brows drew together.

For one second, anger on his face seemed to catch on something.

"What happened?"

The question came fast. His voice dropped.

Once, that late concern might have softened me.

Now it only felt absurd.

My eyes lowered to the wound, and a small smile touched my mouth.

"Vivian's glass broke earlier. I stepped on it by accident."

Roman's face stiffened.

He remembered the scene in the hall. He remembered stepping in front of Vivian without asking me a single question.

My eyes lifted.

"You were there, were you not?"

His fingers tightened around my wrist.

Whatever emotion had risen in his eyes was buried by irritation.

"So what?"

His laugh was cold.

"Are you trying to make me pity you, or make me think Vivian owes you something?"

No reply came from me.

My silence seemed to make him even more annoyed.

"Serena, do not make yourself look this pathetic. Vivian just came to Calder Manor. She does not know our rules yet, and she cannot handle you being so aggressive."

He let go of my wrist.

His gaze stayed on my bleeding ankle for one second.

It lasted only one second.

Then he looked away.

"From tomorrow on, stay away from her. That wronged little face of yours only embarrasses everyone."

The wind cut through the portico and numbed my fingers.

Looking at him, I suddenly stopped feeling the pain.

So he could see it.

He simply cared more about his dignity. More about whether Vivian felt wronged.

My sleeve dropped over my wrist.

"Fine."

Roman's face turned worse.

Maybe he would rather hear crying. Maybe anger would have made him feel in control.

My calm left him with nothing to hold.

The travel bag lifted from the ground, and my feet moved toward the outer steps.

My obedience finally broke his patience.

Roman grabbed the bag and threw it into the snow.

Clothes and documents spilled out. Snow began covering the corners at once.

Roman stood inside the doorway, his voice cold enough to cut.

"Then get out. Serena, I want to see how long an unwanted orphan can last in a New York snowstorm."

I stepped through the door.

No look back.