he cold air swirled around her. The entire room felt heavy with an unseen presence, as if the walls themselves were watching her. She turn

er? Eve's mind raced. She needed answers, and she needed them fast. With trembling hands, she grabbed the newspaper clipping from the table where she had left it. The photo of Rowan, the man who had supp

s disappearance." The more she read, the more she felt a deep connection to Rowan's story. There was something about it that resonated with her, a pull that she couldn't explain. Had the curse followed him into the modern day? Was he somehow trapped, unable to escape his fate, just like she felt trapped in her own life? The bell above the bookstore door jingled, snapping Eve out of her thoughts. She looked up, expecting to see a

don't u

e here. Are you... Are you real?" Rowan tilted his head slightly, studying her with an unreadable expression. "Real?" he repeated, as

panic. "You're telling me I'm part of some ancient prophecy? And that has to do with you... being cursed?" Rowan nodded, his expression grave. "Yes. I was cursed to live forever, never to age, never to die. The woman I loved, the one I was destined to be with, she betrayed me. And in doing so, she sealed my fate." He took a step back, as though the weight of his own words had physically drained him. "But there's more. The curse can only be broken by the one who is destined to stand beside me someone who, in a different time, was fated to be my partner. That someone, Eve, is you." Eve took a step back, her head spinning. "No. T

t there was an unmistakable pain in his eyes. "I understand. I wish I could give you the answers you seek, but all I can offer you is the truth of what's coming. The curse is drawing to a close, and soon, something will change. A great danger looms, and it will threaten everything. Not just you and me, but this entire town." Eve's heart clenched. "What kind of danger?" Rowan's eyes flickered toward the window, his face hardening. "The same force that cursed me. The