Page 154 of Vendetta Vows

Three weeks since Sienna Voss's post. Three weeks since the entire world could have learned that Aurora Castellanos was once Jamie Fields. Three weeks of checking every shadow, startling at every sound.

Three weeks of nothing.

Could I possibly be this lucky? Could Kristofer simply not have seen it?

The strange limbo of waiting for a disaster that never arrives has left me perpetually off-balance. Each day that passes without Kristofer appearing on our doorstep feels like both a blessing and a cruel extension of my anxiety.

I'm so lost in thought I don't notice Mikayla until she sits beside me on the garden bench, her serious eyes watching the tea party unfold.

"He used to be the same with me," she says quietly. "Before I learned about the requirements of this world."

I turn to her, noting how her hands rest perfectly folded in her lap, the rigid posture she maintains even while relaxing.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I grew up." Mikayla shrugs. "And father decided it was time I understood what being a Dragunov meant."

She watches her sisters with something like envy in her eyes. I follow her gaze back to Ruslan, who's now letting Sofia place a ridiculous floral crown on his head. My heart swells at the sight.

"I wanted to ask you about that post," Mikayla says suddenly, her voice dropping lower. "The one from Sienna Voss."

My muscles lock tight.

"What about it?" I manage to keep my voice steady, though my pulse races beneath my skin.

Mikayla's eyes remain fixed on her sisters and Ruslan. "My mother knew about Sienna Voss long before that night at your club."

"How?" The word comes out sharper than I intended.

"Mother likes to keep tabs on Uncle Ruslan." Mikayla picks at an invisible thread on her skirt. "When he was seeing Sienna, Mother had people watching them both. It gave her... information."

The casual way she says this sends chills through me. Teenage girls should be gossiping about celebrity crushes, not discussing their mother stalking celebrity rivals.

"At first, she was just interested because it was an easy way to watch Uncle Ruslan from a distance," Mikayla continues. "But after that first post of you appeared, she became obsessed."

My mouth goes dry. "What do you mean, 'obsessed'?"

"She had Sienna come to our house. Right after Father and Mikhail were killed." Mikayla finally turns to look at me, her eyes too old for her face. "Spent hours with her alone. Talking about Uncle Ruslan. Trying to find out about you."

My God… Tamara had been looking into me this entire time?

Before I can say anything, Daria hurries toward us, her usually composed face tight with worry. She has something in her hand.

A small box.

"Aurora," she says. "This is for you."

I stare at the small box in Daria's hands, a sudden chill creeping up my spine despite the warm afternoon sun.

"What is this?" My voice sounds thin, distant even to my own ears.

"A delivery." Daria's expression remains carefully neutral, but I catch the tension around her eyes when her voice lowers to a whisper. "Addressed to Jamie Fields."

My stomach plummets.

Not Aurora Dragunov.

Jamie Fields.

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