Inside the tiny fitting room, Briony stood frozen, her arms full of lacy lingerie she had no intention of trying on.

The space was barely three feet wide-cramped even for one person. But, as if that weren't enough, this particular fitting room opened up to a narrow staircase leading to a loft above a makeshift storage attic.

She heard footsteps approaching.

Sensing something, Briony looked up.

A figure dressed in black appeared in the doorway.

It was a man-black baseball cap pulled low, half his face hidden behind a mask, only his eyes visible: narrow, deep-set, and impossible to read.

He was tall. With two long strides, he descended the twisting wooden steps from the attic and stood before her.

The moment he appeared, Briony understood what Mary had been planning all along.

She stared at the man in front of her, her thoughts scattered, as if time itself had stopped.

was still

the world still believed Stewart was dead-he

he here, in Blair's disguise,

him she

eyes in a heavy silence, each lost in

end, it was

out a weary sigh, and reached up to remove his

nothing like the scarred, twisted visage she'd seen at Starlight

ever existed during that first interview, and since then, it had always been

Stewart pulled off the mask, his heart

He was scared, too.

wouldn't want to see him. Afraid she'd push him

so calm now. Even as he revealed himself, she didn't so

a whisper, trembling with emotion. He felt a

say, and

process the truth ever since she'd started suspecting Blair's real identity. When she saw Stewart, disguised as Blair, caring for little Nina with her own eyes, any lingering resentment had quietly

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