Chapter 85

I stared around the store, my eyes lingering on all the new things that had come into existence while I was shut away. Everything looked brighter, livelier—almost foreign. Yes, Dylan had brought designers to the mansion to make me feel like I still had access to the world, but it was never the same. There’s a certain life that comes with being among people, seeing the real world, not just what someone allows you to see.

No matter what, I had to find a way back home. I needed to know what had happened while I was locked away in that golden prison. Dylan always controlled what I saw, what I heard, what I wore. He crafted a perfect illusion around me, one I was finally seeing through.

My father never called. Not once. And Maurice, that useless coward—he didn’t even try to reach me. We were never close, but still… he could have done something. He’s always been weak, too afraid to stand against Father and me.

I wondered what Father would say when he saw me again—what ki