Chapter 274

AURELIA’S POV “Of course,” the voice answered lightly, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “You’re too valuable to leave unwatched. But I must say, Aurelia, your stubbornness is admirable.” A pause, then a chuckle. “Running in circles for hours, only to return home. Like a wolf who doesn’t realize she’s chasing her own tail.” My grip tightened on the receiver. “This isn’t my home.” Silence. Then the voice softened, almost tender. “Not yet. But it could be. You’ll see, in time. Here, no one will betray you. No one will humiliate you. No one will whisper lies behind your back.” The words dug into me like claws, pressing into every wound Seraphina had carved into me. “Why?” My voice cracked on the single syllable, hollow and small in the glossy room. There was a long pause on the line—an inhale that seemed to measure me, to weigh the sound of my fear and the shape of my defiance. When the voice answered at last, it was low and measured, the kind of voice that belonged to some