Page 11 of Bound By Crimson
Not even when she reached the gate.
Not even when she got home.
Chapter Three
The Invitation
Today had been mercifully quiet.
After yesterday’s emotional storm—seeing Rowan and Eric, and the discovery of the adoption papers that had weighed on her mind ever since—Lyric was grateful for the calm.
The afternoon sunlight slanted through the shop’s front window, catching on the crystal mobiles and casting rainbows across the worn wooden floor.
Lyric leaned against the counter, arms loosely folded, watching dust dance in the light. She was thankful for the uneventful day. The lack of drama. The stillness.
But the stillness brought something else too.
Restlessness.
Her life felt so small now. Narrowed to routines that didn’t mean much. Get up. Go to the Velvet Cauldron. Light the candles. Count the hours. Walk to the cemetery. Go home.
She didn’t even know what she wanted anymore—except that she wished she didn’t have to be herself. Just for a little while.
Anyone else. Anywhere else.
Movement outside the window caught her eye.
A black car pulled up to the curb.
Not just any car.
Sleek. Expensive. Its windows tinted so dark she couldn’t see inside.
A man stepped out from the driver’s side.
He was tall, dressed in a crisp, dark suit. Not the kind of suit you picked up from the mall. Tailored. Sharp. Professional.
Lyric straightened instinctively. She didn’t recognize him. She knew almost everyone in this town by sight—and this man didn’t belong here.
He crossed the sidewalk with quiet purpose and entered the shop, the bells chiming softly behind him.
Lyric stayed behind the counter, fingers curling around the edge. “Can I help you?”
The man stopped a respectful distance away and gave a small, polite nod. His voice carried a smooth British accent.
“This is for you, miss.”
He held out a black envelope.
It was thick. Heavy cardstock. The kind of envelope that didn’t come from a post office.
A crimson wax seal held the flap closed—pressed with an emblem she didn’t recognize.
Nobody used wax seals anymore.
Lyric frowned slightly. “Are you sure this is for me?”
“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation.
