Beneath the suit lay a leather-bound ledger.

I opened it, recognizing Alexander’s tight, precise handwriting immediately.

The entries began six months before our wedding.

*Julian is back from Switzerland,* the first entry read. *James Sterling has been meeting with him in private. Father’s trust cannot be released unless I marry Victoria, but Julian has agreed to take my place in the public eye. They are talking about a permanent transition.*

I turned the page, my eyes scanning the dates.

*They know about Claire,* he had written three weeks before he disappeared. *Sterling threatened to have her credentials revoked. If I don’t sign the power of attorney over to Julian, they will ruin her. I have to find a way to get her out of the city.*

The sound of a heavy footstep echoed in the corridor outside.

I froze, holding the ledger against my stomach.

The shadow of a tall man stretched across the concrete floor of the unit.

“You always were too curious for your own good, Claire.”

I looked up.

He stood in the doorway, wearing a bespoke cashmere overcoat that looked exactly like the one Alexander used to wear on winter mornings.