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~The Author~
The door creaked open. Rosalind struggled to get on her feet, her heart racing. She thought it was her brother. Maybe he had come to show her mercy. Maybe, just maybe, if he saw the state she was in, he would ask them to release her. She was ready to beg, to fall to her knees if she had to.
Her body burned. Fever had taken over her in the night, but she hadn't called for help. She didn't want to disobey her brother's command. So she stayed locked in, silently battling the pain, hoping it would pass. But it didn't. Every moment made her body feel heavier. Her joints ached. Her head throbbed like drums beating in her skull.
When the door opened fully, it wasn't her brother who stepped in.
It was Lord Rowland.
Rosalind froze, too stunned to speak. Why was he here? Did her brother send him?
"Rosalind?" His voice was soft but filled with concern.
