Chapter 130

ELIZA'S POV The bed beside me was cold. Again. I rolled over, reaching for the warmth that should’ve been there, the man that used to soothe me. But my fingers met only cold bedsheets. Alexander had already left. No note. No goodbye. Not even the usual kiss on my forehead that used to make my mornings start with a smile. I pulled the blankets tighter around me and stared at the ceiling. The carvings on the ceiling stared back at me. I used to trace those carvings with him beside me, laughing at how one of them resembled a wolf with its tongue out. Now, I couldn’t even bring myself to smile at the memory. Lately, everything between us felt… off. He was still kind. Still polite. But polite was the worst kind of cold. He used to look at me like I was the only thing in the room. Now he barely saw me at all. I forced myself to get up. I couldn’t mope all day. Maybe if I tried a little harder—just one more time—I could remind him of us. The palace kitchen was filled with busy maids as I step