... Then, all at once, Edvin stopped, turned, and slowly made his way to the chair he'd just righted. He collapsed into it, slouching as if the weight of Megan's rejection had finally crushed the last of his delusions.
For a long, tense moment, the only sound in the shattered study was the crackling of the fireplace, its embers hissing like whispers in the silence. Lord Edvin sat slouched in his chair, the firelight casting jagged shadows across his face. His gaze, no longer wild with rage but now sharp with thought, slowly he looked up.
His eyes locked onto Garon, who stood unmoving near the doorway — his posture was stiff.
"How," Edvin asked, his voice low, bitter, almost disbelieving, "did she even know you were there?"
