ere closing in, and every little noise ,water dripping, rats scurrying made their nerves jump. Juliet tried to act tough, sitting up straight, but her hands were shakin

nd then there was his mother. Asher's heart twisted as he recalled the sound of her sobs, the helplessness in her eyes as she watched her husband suffer. She had cried too, both of them reduced to mere shadows of who they once were. The love that had always held their family together seemed to vanish that day, drowned by Juliet's vicious actions. Juliet's breath caught in her throat, but she stayed silent. She could feel the weight of his anger, like a physical force pressing down on her. The room was thick with the tension of something broken, something he could never fix, and for a moment, she feared he might destroy everything in his path just to make it right. His footsteps echoed, filling the cold, dark space. His face was hard, but the rage underneath was clear. Betrayal, disgust, and revenge all wrapped in one look. Julian shrank back, not daring to look at him, while Juliet tried to stay strong. But when Asher stopped right in front of her, his voice was like ice, sending a shiver down her spine. His eyes locked onto Juliet, and the coldness in them sent a chill down her spine. "You'll answer every question I ask," he demanded, his voice tight, dangerously low. "And you better tell the truth. Because if I catch even a hint of a lie... you'll wish you hadn't said a word." Juliet opened her mouth to speak, trying to muster some excuse, but before she could even finish her first sentence, Morgana stepped forward and slapped her so hard her head snapped to the side. The sound echoed through the dungeon like a gunshot. "You lied," Morgana said sharply, not giving Juliet a chance to recover. "Try again." A few minutes after, Juliet's hand flew to her stinging cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I...I didn't-" Smack! The second slap came harder, and Juliet stumbled, her pride crumbling alongside her confidence. "Enough excuse