Jacqueline woke before dawn, the clock barely touching four.
Quietly, she nudged Mathieu awake. The two of them washed up in silence before preparing to leave the mansion. Before departing, Jacqueline had written a short note for Damien a simple message of gratitude.
She knew the household would wake in roughly four hours. That was precisely why she had chosen this hour to leave.
If she waited until morning, she would have to face them.
And she knew she wouldn't be able to go.
In such a short time, every person in that house had become precious to her. But the one she couldn't bear to face most of all was Damien.
She couldn't say goodbye to him.
Not when she knew she was leaving her heart behind.
The siblings slipped out of the mansion quietly. The world outside was still cloaked in darkness, though faint streaks of early dawn were beginning to stretch across the sky.
"You didn't even let me say goodbye," Mathieu muttered softly.
