Unexpected Guest    

Still no amount of designer clothes, perfumes, or lavish comforts could change the fact that this wasn't my life.

It was temporary, a gilded cage dressed in luxury. I wasn't meant to stay here forever, and no amount of velvet bathrobes or sparkling champagne could make me forget that.

This world wasn't mine, and I wouldn't let it trap me, no matter how tempting it all seemed.

I'd stay here until Sebastian was settled, until he no longer clung to me like I was his saviour.

But even then, I wasn't planning to stick around forever. I wanted my own life, my own freedom—far from this grand mansion and all its complications.

Both Sinclair and Sebastian were fragile, their health hanging by a thread. They were old, their bodies worn down by years of struggle and stress.