The door opened slowly.
Too slowly.
Like the house was deciding whether to let them exist inside it.
A butler stood in the gap.
Straight posture.
Tight expression.
Already annoyed.
"…Do you realise what time it is?" he said immediately.
"…It is nearly midnight."
Chloe didn't move.
Lillian didn't blink.
"…We're looking for Sebastian Wolfe," Lillian said.
The butler exhaled sharply.
"…Mr Wolfe is asleep. In his room. This is not a time for visitors."
Lillian stepped forward.
"…I need to see him."
The answer came instantly.
"…Absolutely not."
Chloe's eyes narrowed slightly.
Lillian's voice stayed level.
"…Just to check he's okay."
The butler shook his head once.
"…He is resting. That is all you need to know."
Silence.
Then—
A cough.
From inside the house.
Rough.
Broken.
Unsteady.
Not loud.
But enough.
Lillian stopped.
Completely.
Her head lifted slightly.
"…That's him."
No question.
No hesitation.
She moved.
Fast.
Straight past the butler.
Chloe reacted immediately, stepping in and blocking him.
"…Don't," she said flatly.
The butler tried to push forward.
Chloe didn't move.
"…I said don't."
Behind them, Lillian was already gone.
The corridor swallowed her.
Long.
Too quiet.
Cold air pressing in from everywhere at once.
Then—
another cough.
Closer now.
Lillian's pace quickened immediately.
Focused.
Locked in.
"…Sebastian!" she called out.
Her voice echoed down the hallway.
No response.
Only coughing.
Worse now.
More strained.
She turned corners quickly.
Then another.
The sound guiding her like a thread pulling her forward.
Chloe's footsteps followed behind her, faster now.
"…Lillian—wait—."
But Lillian didn't slow down.
Not even slightly.
The cough broke again.
Sharp.
Unsteady.
Almost choking.
She reached a door.
Heavy.
Old.
Locked.
The coughing came from inside.
Lillian stopped instantly.
Her hand went to the handle.
Turned it.
Locked.
Again.
Locked.
Chloe arrived behind her.
The butler further back.
Lillian didn't look at either of them.
"…Open it," she said.
The butler shook his head.
"…I am not authorised—."
Another cough from inside.
Worse.
More broken.
Lillian's jaw tightened.
"…Open it."
Still refusal.
The coughing turned into something harsher.
Like he couldn't even get air properly between breaths.
Lillian stepped closer.
Her voice dropped.
Controlled.
Cold.
"…Open it."
Silence.
Then—
"…If you don't open it," she said quietly, "…I will break it down myself."
The butler hesitated.
Chloe didn't speak.
Just watched him.
Cold.
Still.
Finally—
the lock clicked.
Lillian didn't wait.
She pushed the door open.
Cold air spilled out immediately.
Thick.
Stale.
Too still.
No light inside except what followed them in.
She stepped forward instantly.
Chloe stayed behind a second longer.
Then followed.
"…Go get his things," Lillian said quickly without turning.
Chloe nodded once.
Then looked at the butler.
Her voice shifted completely.
Lower.
Sharper.
"…Show me his room."
The butler hesitated.
Chloe didn't.
"…Now."
He moved.
Chloe followed him without another word.
Lillian stepped into the room alone.
The door creaked behind her.
Another cough came immediately.
Closer.
Ragged.
She turned.
"…Sebastian?"
Silence.
Then—
a cough from the corner.
She moved immediately toward it.
Slow now.
Careful.
The shape came into view.
Sebastian.
On the floor.
Curled into himself.
Back against the wall.
Shaking slightly with each breath.
Lillian dropped instantly to her knees.
"…Sebastian…"
She reached out gently.
Hand on his shoulder.
He flinched.
Hard.
Like something hit him from inside his own memory.
His body jerked away immediately.
His breathing spiked.
Fast.
Unsteady.
Wrong.
His eyes snapped open wider.
But didn't focus.
Not properly.
He looked at her.
But didn't see her.
"…No…" he muttered.
Lillian froze.
"…Sebastian, it's me."
He shook his head violently.
Too fast.
Like he was trying to erase what he was seeing.
"…Stay away from me," he said.
Voice broken.
Thin.
Almost hoarse.
Lillian didn't move closer.
But she didn't leave either.
He coughed again.
Harder.
His body folded slightly forward with it.
He dragged a shaky breath in and immediately struggled to keep it.
"…Don't…" he whispered.
"…don't come closer…"
His hand lifted slightly.
Not to strike.
To block.
Like he was bracing for something that wasn't happening.
"…No—no—don't—" he muttered again, voice rising slightly.
"…stay back…"
Lillian stayed still.
Her hand slowly lowered from his shoulder.
Not gone.
Just not touching.
Sebastian's breathing grew worse.
Short.
Broken.
Panicked.
His eyes kept flicking between her face and something behind her.
Something she couldn't see.
"…Charlotte…" he whispered suddenly.
Lillian went still.
Completely.
That name didn't belong in this room.
Sebastian's body stiffened even more after saying it, like it triggered something deeper.
His shoulders shook.
His back pressed harder into the wall.
Like he was trying to disappear into it.
"…No…" he said again, weaker now.
"…don't—please—don't—."
His voice cracked completely on the last word.
Lillian's chest tightened instantly.
She had never heard him like this.
Never.
Not cold.
Not distant.
Not controlled.
This was different.
This was fear without structure.
Sebastian's eyes were no longer really looking at her.
They were looking through her.
Like she wasn't Lillian at all.
Like she was someone else entirely.
"…don't touch me…" he whispered again, barely audible now.
"…please…"
His voice broke on the word please.
That was the first time it sounded like he wasn't asking for control.
Just safety.
His hands trembled as he pulled them closer to his chest.
Protecting himself instinctively.
Like he expected pain that wasn't coming.
His breathing hitched again.
Another cough forced him to curl forward slightly.
Lillian didn't move.
Just stayed there.
Kneeling.
Watching him fall apart in a way she had never seen before.
And for the first time—
Sebastian Wolfe wasn't cold.
Wasn't composed.
Wasn't untouchable.
He was terrified.