yet Rosalie gradually realized something remarkable.
She was not afraid of him.
Then, on their eighth night together, she found Gideon slumped by the hearth.
Sweat soaked his shirt despite the freezing weather. His trembling hand was pressed against his right ear.
Rosalie rushed to his side.
Gideon grabbed the notebook.
*It happens often.*
That answer disturbed her more than any explanation.
Afterward, she began to notice details she had previously overlooked: rust stains on his pillow, his discomfort near intense heat, and the way his hand repeatedly moved toward
