Chapter 272

AURELIA’S POV The first thing I felt was the silence. Not the thick, suffocating kind of silence that usually came after chains or blindfolds—but a soft one, broken only by the distant hum of electricity. My eyes blinked open, and for a terrifying moment I didn’t know where I was. Then it came rushing back. The garden. The hands. The cloth over my mouth. The world tipping into darkness. I sat up abruptly, my breath ragged. But… this wasn’t what I expected. I wasn’t chained. I wasn’t bruised or bound. I was lying on a bed—an actual bed—with fresh sheets that smelled faintly of lavender. The room around me was clean, furnished like something from a glossy magazine: polished wood floors, heavy curtains, expensive lamps. A place that looked more like a seven-star hotel than a cell. Confused, I pushed myself to my feet, half expecting my legs to betray me. But they didn’t. My limbs held steady, if a little shaky from sleep. I walked slowly, taking in everything. There was a large television