Chapter 60. He Awaits My Return

Elizabeth POV

Stepping through the tall glass doors of the packhouse, I paused for a moment in the entryway, letting my gaze drift over the polished marble floors that gleamed under the soft overhead lights. Everything looked pristine, as though the dust of years could never reach this place. Ornate columns soared from floor to ceiling, and intricate carvings adorned every surface. I swallowed against the lump in my throat and forced my feet to move forward, each step echoing in the cavernous foyer. A time ago, I would have marveled at the sweeping staircases flanking me and the lush tapestries hanging on the walls. I would have admired the carefully tended hedges visible through the windows, the way each leaf fell into place like a painter’s brushstroke. Now, though, the grandeur only reinforced how cold—and how much it did not belong to me—this place felt.

It had never been my home, I realize