Chapter 419

After a long while, Lucien Sterling finally dragged himself back to his office, footsteps heavy. He pulled open the bottom drawer and took out an old photo frame. In the picture, he and Calliope Godfrey were nestled close together. She had that sweet, soft smile on her lips, dimples showing faintly on her cheeks, eyes sparkling like they held all the stars in the universe—carefree, glowing. And now? Now her eyes were cold, distant. Like she didn’t care anymore. And he knew—he was the one who ruined it all. His chest tightened. It hurt. Bad. Lucien slid the photo out of the frame and held it over his heart. If only... if only he could do it all over again. He wouldn’t screw it up this time. He’d treat her like the most precious thing in the whole damn world. Fingers shaking, he grabbed a pair of scissors and gently cut out her smiling figure from the photo. That little cutout, he slipped into the hidden slot in his wallet. Clutching the worn leather case like it was all he had left, he