Chapter 81

AUBREY'S POV The cool night air brushed against my skin as I stepped onto the stone pathway outside the packhouse. The moon hung low, casting a silver glow over the surrounding trees. The scent of pine and damp earth filled my lungs, grounding me even as my heart pounded in my chest. I shouldn't have been out here. I knew that. But I needed a moment. Just one moment to breathe, to escape the suffocating weight of my own choices. I wrapped my arms around myself, my fingers grazing the soft fabric of my ivory dress. It wasn't my wedding gown—that was waiting for me inside, hanging in my room, taunting me with the future I didn't deserve. This was just a simple dress, thin enough for the night air to nip at my skin, but I didn't care. I needed the cold. Maybe if I stood here long enough, I'd feel something other than guilt. "Aubrey?" I jolted, turning to find Merlin standing a few feet away. She wore a deep blue sweater, the sleeves slightly too long and bunched around her wrists, and dar