The carriage wheels crunched over gravel, and my breath caught. Ten years gone, and still, my heart knew his silhouette the moment he stepped down—broad-shouldered, sun-bronzed, Charles Duvall, returned to claim me.\n\nBut then I saw it: his gaze slid past me like glass, locking onto Chloe where she stood beneath the rose arbor, waving with practiced grace. 'You haven’t changed a bit,' he said, taking her hand, kissing her knuckles. My stomach dropped. That was my phrase. My greeting.\n\n'Welcome home, my dear fiancée,' Chloe purred, and no one corrected her. Not Mother, not the servants, not even Aunt Maris. I opened my mouth, but the words froze. How could he not know me? We’d carved our initials into the willow bark. He’d promised me a crown of stars.\n\nNow, as they stroll together, laughing at some private joke, I clutch the red ribbon beneath my sleeve. Do I step forward and shatter the illusion? Or do I wait—watch—until he sees me on his own?