Julia was seventeen when the sickness began. At first, it was small things. Sleep brought nightmares she couldn't wake up from. Food turned to rot on her tongue. But it didn't stop. It didn't fade. It changed shape inside her, learning her body the way something predatory learns the dark. Then the Stone brothers arrived. They watched her too closely. Not like strangers. Like they were tracking something only they could see. Like they already knew what she was becoming and were waiting for it to finish. Because this isn't just an illness. It's alive. It's inside her, rewriting her from within. Twisting her into something dangerous. Something she won't be able to control for long. And when she loses control, it won't just ruin her life. It will destroy everyone she loves. Especially him. The one she can't have, The one she can't stay away from. The one who looked at her and knew exactly how it would end...