Chapter 32

Camille’s POV

The ballroom blurred around me. I couldn’t breathe for a second. Not because he knew my name, but because he saw me, something I thought I’d buried.

“I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for someone else,” I finally managed, withdrawing my hand from his grasp. My voice stayed perfectly steady, cool and distant, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. “I don’t have a previous name.”

A year of Victoria’s brutal training. All those hours perfecting my mask. Everything in me focused on not revealing the bolt of terror that shot through my body like lightning.

Alexander tilted his head slightly, examining me as one might examine an interesting puzzle. “Is that so? My mistake, then.”

But his tone made it clear he believed no such thing. He wasn’t backing down, merely shifting tactics.

“First public appearance?” he asked, smoothly changing subjects while maintaining uncomfortable eye contact. “Victoria has kept you well-hidden until now.