Prologue

"I hate you, Sylus. I hate everything about you. I hate the first day we met, and right now, I regret ever meeting you, ever setting my eyes on you..." Her voice was bitter, a touch nasal, and laced with the cold breeze of winter. Her brown eyes, once sparkling, were now emotionless and dull, like muddy water reflecting a cloudy sky.

"Brianne..." The man called out in a raspy, emotionless voice, eyeing the woman standing a meter from the cliff's edge. His gaze bore into her, ignoring her words as he commanded, "Come here."

A chuckle slipped past her lips, her eyelashes fluttering slowly, hiding the storm of emotions wreaking havoc in her once-adoring eyes. She looked up at him suddenly, staring into those eyes that had likely never held her in them, those eyes she once hoped would offer warmth but never did—those cold eyes that she wished, just once, could show some care for her.

Oh... how naive and foolish she'd been, to think she could warm his heart... How special she had imagined herself to be... when, to him, she wasn't worth anything.

Forget it.

A faint sigh escaped her lips, accompanied by a wisp of white mist in the chilly air.

The man stood motionless, his expression impassive. His hands rested calmly in the pockets of his bespoke trousers, poised and confident, waiting for her to step forward and obey him like the obedient, devoted dog she had once been.

But that girl was gone. The one who had craved his attention and coveted his gaze was no more.

She shook her head subtly. "Not again, Sylus. Never again."

She took a step back, her gaze calm. The man reacted instantly, reaching to grab her hand, to pull her back—but it was too late.

She plunged off the cliff, silent, no scream, not even a sound, just...gone.

"Brianne..." He stared at his empty hand. For the first time, the cold gaze cracked, something flashing in his orbs as he took steps forward.