Lila swallowed. "She was heading toward the south garden side. Behind the red arch."
The red arch. That secluded section of the estate. It was quiet and out of the guards' patrol route unless requested.
My stomach dropped. Something about this didn't sound right.
"Gracias," I muttered, already halfway out the door.
The air changed the moment I stepped outside.
The night was thick with the scent of damp grass and blooming roses… the kind María José liked. The kind she claimed reminded her of her abuela's garden. They were heady, sweet, and always a little too much. Just like her.
I followed the scent, fast and focused. Her perfume was faint coconut and something warm like honey. Its traces were still hanging in the air. But it was layered now.
With something else.
Álvaro.
I stopped in my tracks, chest tight, and nostrils flaring.
What the fuck was he doing near her?
