The change was instant. Ivy stopped crying as if a switch had been turned off. Her fists relaxed, and she pressed her cheek against Marcus’s chest with a tired little sound. The entire staff held their breath. Lena covered her mouth in shock. Marcus wasn’t looking at anyone. His eyes were locked on a small silver pendant hanging from Ivy’s neck. It was old, worn smooth with time, and Ivy gripped it tightly like something precious. The color drained from Marcus’s face. He knew that metal. He knew the initials engraved on it. His fingers hovered, shaking, before he gently turned the pendant. When the light caught the letters, his breath stopped. “J.C.” The mansion faded away. That necklace had belonged to only one person in his life—and that person was gone.