ched into the room, her eyes bl

away from Kane. "Don't you dare touch my brother-in-law!

derstand why Chloe, who used to play with her sometimes, was sudden

ied, her voice trembling. "Daddy never us

tack, straightened his tie. He glanced at Chlo

ping with false sweetness, a mimicry of her older sister. "Your mo

t Kane, tears welling in her eyes.

nce was a deafening affirmation. He believed them. He believed Fran

Cora. "Your mommy is a bad person. She deserves what she ge

fee table with a sickening thud. A gasp escaped my lips. A crimson stain bl

by months of draining rituals and the recent bone marrow extraction, gave way. I collapsed, my body screaming

arkness consumed me was Kane standing over Cora, his face a mask o

der. My head throbbed, and every inch of my body ached. The room was unfamiliar,

oice whispered fr

was pale, but her eyes were clear. There was a band

ed, my voice raspy. "Are

just hurt a little. Chloe tripped me." She paused, then added, "

her tormentor, trying to shield me, even in her own pain. My guilt was a heavy w

For Cora. I had to appeal to the man Kane once was, the man I had loved. Perhap

The small, carved wooden bird he had given me on our first anniversary. It was hidden in a secret compartmen

ound a fallen branch, perfectly shaped, and spent hours carving it into a delicate bird, its wings outstretche

en there was still a sliver of hope. A hope I would cling to, for Cora's sake. I was willing to swallow every insult, every humiliation, if it m

the mansion. I crept through the silent halls, the only sound the pounding of my own he

eyes scanned the familiar furniture, searching for the hidden compartment. I found it, behind a loose panel i

e barren soil of my despair. Maybe... mayb

voices reached me from the adjoining balcony. Curiosity, or perhaps a morbi

here. And

him, her head tucked against his chest. He held her tight, his hand

low, seductive whisper. "You're so good to

ender gesture he hadn't bestowed up

his voice thick with devotion, a tone I had once believe

as a monstrous lie, trembled in my hand. He hadn't just forgotten me; h

them. "And to think," she whispered, loud enough to pierce through my fragile ho

rs about Francesca's manipulative nature, came rushing back. They had seen it, the truth I had refused to acknowledge. They had seen Kane'

ble floor. It hit with a sharp, resonant crack, echoing through th

brutally interrupted. Their eyes locked onto me, standing frozen in the doorway,

laina! What are you doing here?!" His voice was a whip-crack,