Before she could answer, Olivia caught a familiar silhouette out of the corner of her eye at the garden entrance. Victor. He stood near the archway leading back to the ballroom, arms crossed, posture alert, scanning the space the way he always did when he was looking for her.

Her stomach tightened for a split second. A flash of guilt hit her—not because she’d done anything wrong, but because she suddenly felt caught in a moment she couldn’t even define herself.

She quickly looked away before he