(Ruby's POV)
The morning after the accident, I find a stranger in the library.
He's young, maybe a few years older than me. Sandy hair, open face, easy smile. He's dressed in casual clothes, like he just stepped off a hiking trail. He looks completely out of place in the cold, dark manor.
"Hello there," he says when he sees me. "You must be Ruby."
I stop in the doorway, my hand still on the knob. "Who are you?"
He crosses the room, offering his hand. "Liam Sterling. Nicholas's cousin."
I stare at him. Nicholas never mentioned a cousin. Never mentioned any family at all, except Kai.
"I didn't know Nicholas had a cousin."
Liam's smile falters. "Most people don't. I've been… away. For a long time."
"Away where?"
He glances around the library, lowering his voice. "Can we sit? This is kind of a long story."
I don't trust him. After everything with Kai, after the accident, I don't trust anyone. But I'm curious. And curiosity has always been my weakness.
