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“ Y ou’ve made a mistake,” Selina said as Annette walked back into the room. “Rowan doesn’t care about me the way you think he does.”

Annette set a small leather bag on the table, then turned with a faint, amused smile. “Come now, my dear. Don’t insult my intelligence.”

“It’s true. He sent me away, remember? Told me our marriage was in name only. If I disappeared tomorrow, he’d probably feel relieved.”

“He’d let anyone else go,” Annette said, moving to light another lamp against the gathering darkness. “His business associates, his servants, even his precious friend Felix. But not you. Never you.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I? I’ve watched him for months, seen how his entire world shifted when you entered it. The way he looks at you,” Annette said, her voice tight with bitterness. “Like you’re the only thing holding him together. Gerald never looked at me like that. Not once, not even when we were at our best.”

Selina shifted on the settee, trying to ease the pressure on her wrists. “Even if you’re right, this won’t end the way you want. You’ll be caught. You’ll hang for abduction, maybe worse.”

“Will I?” Annette laughed, the sound sharp in the small room. “Lady Winsley, grieving widow and pillar of society? Who would believe such a thing?”

“Rowan will figure it out. He’s not stupid.”

“Perhaps he will, eventually. But what proof does he have? What evidence links me to any of this?” Annette began unpacking items from her bag with methodical precision. “Even if he discovers the truth about Edward Bentern, it’s merely a name on a page. No one alive can connect that name to me.”

“What about Captain Veer? He could identify you.”

“Poor Captain Veer will suffer a sudden, tragic illness before he can speak to anyone,” Annette said without looking up from her preparations. “Amazing how quickly fever can claim a man in poor health.”

Ice filled Selina’s veins at the casual way Annette discussed murder. “You’ve planned everything.”

“For three years, yes. Every detail, every contingency.” Annette straightened, her eyes glittering in the lamplight. “As for you, my dear, you’ll simply vanish. No body to bury, no grave for your husband to visit. Just the endless torment of not knowing what became of you.”

“He’ll search for me.”

“Of course he will. He’ll tear London apart looking for you, just as I want him to.

The uncertainty will destroy him far more than a clean death would.

” Annette stepped closer, eyes locked on Selina’s face with unsettling focus.

“He’ll spend the rest of his life wondering if you’re hurt, if you’re calling for him, waiting for help that’s never coming. ”

Fear curled in Selina’s chest, tightening her throat, but she wouldn’t let Annette see it. She straightened her spine and met her gaze head-on.

“You won’t win. Rowan’s stronger than you think.”

Annette gave a small, almost pitying smile. “We’ll see, won’t we?” She tilted her head, her voice softening. “You know, you remind me of myself when I was your age. That same fire. That same need to act brave, even when everything’s falling apart.”

Selina didn’t hesitate. “I’m nothing like you.”

“No? I was nineteen when I first caught Gerald’s eye. Young, naive, convinced that love could conquer anything.” Annette’s smile turned wistful. “I believed his promises, trusted in our future together. Even when he married another for her dowry, I held onto hope.”

“He used you.”

“He loved me,” Annette snapped, her composure cracking. “More than he ever loved his cold, perfect wife. More than he loved that cursed son who killed her. But love wasn’t enough to overcome duty, was it? Just as it won’t be enough to save you now.”

The sound of hoofbeats outside made them both freeze. Annette moved to the window, peering through the grimy glass.

“Right on schedule,” she murmured. “Your devoted husband has arrived to play his part in this little drama.”

Selina’s heart leaped with hope and terror in equal measure. Rowan had found them, but walking into this cottage meant walking into Annette’s trap.

“Let me warn him,” Selina pleaded. “Please, whatever you want from him, there has to be another way.”

Annette turned from the window, her face serene once more. “There is no other way. This is how it was always meant to end.”

Outside, the hoofbeats stopped. A horse snorted and stamped, then silence fell like a curtain over the cottage.

The last act was about to begin.