Chapter 109

• Kylian’s POV
• Finally. Every painful minute of pretending, every hollow smile, every word spoken with a sickly sweetness has brought me here, to this very moment. All my efforts, all my sacrifices, and now Cesmae is right where I’ve wanted her. Tied, helpless, just as she should be. There will be no more mistakes, no unforeseen setbacks. Not this time.
• There’s a thrill humming beneath my skin, an exhilaration that I feel like I can taste, as if every last piece of this plan, every twisted thread, has fallen precisely into place. I savor it, the feeling of knowing my prize is so close, all the closer because of the work I’ve put into this charade.