?Chapter 619:


    The click of the door shutting behind him left me cold and empty, like a single flickering candle in a dark, cavernous room.


    That night, sleep evaded me entirely. Every time I closed my eyes, his retreat reyed in my mind.


    When morning finally came, I barely managed to get out of bed. The thought of facing another day felt exhausting. Thankfully, it was a holiday—a rare reprieve from the grueling training I hade to dread.


    Dragging myself to the mirror, I barely recognized the pale, worn face staring back at me. The dark circles beneath my eyes made me look as if I hade straight from a boxing match. I looked… depleted.


    When I finally made it downstairs to the dining room, I found Evie and Alice already seated, much to my surprise. They looked utterly startled when they saw me.


    Alice’s fork ttered against her te as she gawked at me. “Makenna, what happened to you? You look terrible. I thought you had a wonderful night with Prince Bryan. Why do you look like you didn’t sleep at all?”


    A wonderful night, huh?


    I shook my head and forced a bitter smile that felt more like a grimace.


    I slumped into a chair, my head lowered in silent defeat, too drained to offer much more than a weak, “Evie, could you pour me some milk?”


    Alice wasn’t having it. “Hey, don’t brush me off like that. Tell me what’s wrong. I’m worried about you.”


    “Bryan… he… he leftst night. Something about Evelyn.”


    Alice’s reaction was immediate—her eyes red with fury.


    “That asshole! How could he do that? I’m going to talk to Amon and find out what’s going on with Bryan!” she spat, already standing to leave.


    “No, don’t!” I grabbed her hand, desperate to stop her. “It’s pointless. Maybe Evelyn really is special to him.”


    New stories uploaded on g?lnσν??ls


    Her expression softened at my words, but I could see the hurt she felt on my behalf. “Don’t think like that. Maybe it was something urgent, something he couldn’t avoid.”


    I didn’t want Alice to keep worrying about me, so I forced a smile. “Let’s just forget about it for now, okay? After breakfast, I want to go out and clear my head. Want toe with me?”


    Makenna’s POV:


    Alice and Evie eagerly jumped at the chance to cheer me up.


    After breakfast, we wandered through the sun-dappled garden, the air alive with the scent of blooming flowers and the sound of ourughter.


    I tilted my head back, closing my eyes as the warm sunlight bathed my face. For a moment, the weight pressing on my heart felt a little lighter.


    Alice and Evie kept up a lively chatter, tossing yful jokes back and forth. Their energy was infectious, and I almost felt myself beginning to smile again.


    But then, a voice cut through the idyllic scene like an unwee gust of wind. “Good morning, Miss Dunn.”


    The deliberate drawl in those words made my heart skip a beat. My mood crashed instantly.


    I turned sharply to find Antoni sauntering toward us, his gait measured and maddeningly unhurried.


    That infuriating, perpetual smirk of his made me want to tear him apart.


    I snorted disdainfully, unable to suppress my irritation. “Mr. Harrison, no matter where I go, you always seem to appear. Like a bad penny that keeps turning up!”


    .


    .


    .