Evelyn's fingers curled tighter around the blank page, but it felt useless now—weightless. A trap she had willingly walked into.
Nathaniel took a step forward, slow and measured.
"You watched me," he said softly. "For days. Thought I wouldn't notice?"
She said nothing.
He smiled—cold, sharp. "You should have burned it the moment you saw it. But curiosity…" His eyes flicked up to meet hers. "It betrays even the clever ones."
Her voice was barely a whisper as she stuttered. "It was blank. There's nothing—"
"And yet you still broke into my study." Another step. "Opened a locked drawer. Used a hidden key. That doesn't sound like the behavior of a curious wife, Eleanor."
She took a step back, her spine brushing the edge of the desk.
His expression darkened, something far more dangerous flickering beneath the calm surface.
"You're not just curious," he said. "You're searching for something. Which is it?"
"That's not true—"
