The moon had long since slipped behind the mountains when Magnolia returned to her chambers, but the weight of it still clung to the sky.
She didn't light the lantern.
She didn't need to.
The room was dim and cold, shadows gathering in the corners like silent witnesses. She dropped her coat on the floor, left her boots near the window, and stood barefoot on the stone heart still racing from the confrontation she'd overheard between Rhett and Ivy.
She hadn't meant to listen.
She hadn't planned to hide in the gallery alcove like a girl eavesdropping on gossip.
But when Ivy's voice had cut through the stone like a blade, she hadn't moved. Couldn't.
Then I'll burn with her.
Rhett's voice still rang in her ears.
She had no right to the way it made her feel.
And yet there it was. A warmth in her chest, beneath the chaos, beneath the mark. A steadying force she hadn't realized she still wanted.
But comfort was a lie tonight.
