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Chapter 22
publish date:
2026-09-17 20:45:37
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HER BEAUTIFUL RUIN. Chapter 23
The Betrayal:"Ava."I couldn't move.I couldn't breathe.I couldn't even convince myself that what I had just heard was real.That voice.That voice had lived inside my memories for years.It had followed me through nightmares.Through photographs.Through every birthday I spent without him.Through every night I wondered what his last moments had been like.Daniel.My brother.Alive.Somewhere in the darkness."Daniel?"Vivienne's hand tightened around mine."Don't."Her voice was barely audible.I pulled away from her."Daniel!"Nothing.The room was completely dark.Then a light flickered at the far end.A silhouette appeared.Tall.Still.Watching us.My heart nearly stopped."Daniel?"The figure took one step forward.Then another.I couldn't see his face.But I knew him.I knew the way he walked.I knew the slight tilt of his head.I knew—Then the lights came back on.The room was empty.My breath caught."No."I ran toward the doorway.Vivienne grabbed my arm."Wait.""Let me
HER BEAUTIFUL RUIN. Chapter 22
Candidate Twenty-EightI couldn't stop staring at the countdown.21:41:58.Every second felt like a heartbeat.Every heartbeat felt like a warning.Vivienne stood across from me, silent.I hated how calm she looked.But I knew better now.She wasn't calm.She was terrified."You said they want me to choose who I love."Vivienne didn't answer."Between Daniel and you?"Her jaw tightened."I didn't say that.""You didn't have to."I stepped closer."He's alive.""Maybe."I laughed bitterly."Maybe?"She looked at me."I've never seen him."The words stopped me."What?""I've seen his records. I've seen the footage. I've seen the reports."She swallowed."But I've never stood in the same room with him."I stared at her."Then how do you know he's alive?""I don't."My stomach twisted."The people who run this place are very good at making people believe things."I looked back at the screen.Daniel's photograph remained frozen there."What if it's real?""Then we'll find him."The certain
HER BEAUTIFUL RUIN. Chapter 21
The Records:For several seconds, I couldn't move.I couldn't breathe.I couldn't even blink.I stared at the photograph lying on the table.Daniel.Alive.The words on the back burned through my mind.HE ISN'T DEAD, AVA.I picked up the photograph with trembling fingers.It was him.There was no doubt.His face was older than I remembered, but it was still Daniel.The same eyes.The same crooked smile.The same tiny scar above his eyebrow from when we were children.My brother.My dead brother.Except—He wasn't supposed to be alive.I turned the photograph over again.Nothing else.No date.No location.No explanation.Just those four words.A sob caught in my throat."Daniel?"The name escaped before I could stop it.The room answered with silence.I looked toward the door.Vivienne was gone.She had disappeared the moment the voice spoke.No footsteps.No warning.Nothing.Just gone.I ran to the door and pulled it open."Vivienne!"My voice echoed through the corridor.Nothing.I
HER BEAUTIFUL RUIN. Chapter 20
Beneath Blackthorn:I didn't sleep.Not really.I lay in my bed staring at the silver key sitting on the table beside me.It was small.Almost ordinary.That was the worst part.Something so insignificant-looking shouldn't have been capable of changing everything.But Vivienne had looked at me when she gave it to me.Really looked at me.And I had seen something in her eyes that scared me more than the chapel had.Regret.Not fear.Not anger.Regret.Like she already knew what I would find.Like she had spent years trying to make sure I never opened that door.And now—She had given me the key herself.I rolled onto my side.The words repeated in my head.You'll hate me after you open it.I closed my eyes.Daniel's face appeared immediately.His smile.His laugh.The photograph in the chapel.What would you sacrifice to see him again?I opened my eyes."No."I whispered it into the darkness."No more."I wasn't going to let Blackthorn manipulate me with memories.I wasn't going to let
HER BEAUTIFUL RUIN. Chapter 19
The Offer:The pounding grew louder."AVA!"Vivienne's voice.Panicked.Desperate.The sound slammed through the chapel doors again.The old wood shook violently.But the doors didn't open.It was as if something on the other side was keeping her out.Keeping me in.Alone.With them.With the voice.With Daniel's photograph staring down at me from above the altar.My throat tightened painfully.The image looked so real.Too real.The way he smiled.The way his eyes crinkled slightly.The way he always looked at me like he could fix anything.For one terrible moment, I forgot he was dead.The voice spoke again.Soft.Patient.Almost kind."What would you sacrifice to see him again?"My chest hurt.Because part of me wanted an answer.Part of me wanted to believe.I hated that part.But it existed.And the voice knew it."You miss him."The photograph changed.Another image appeared.Daniel and me.Children.Laughing.Running through sprinklers in summer.I felt my breath catch.The me
HER BEAUTIFUL RUIN. Chapter 18
The First Trial:Nobody moved.The bell tower stood against the night sky like a wound.Dark.Ancient.Watching.The figure at the top remained perfectly still.One arm extended.Pointing directly at me.My pulse hammered painfully against my ribs."What is that?"The words escaped before I could stop them.Beside me, Vivienne had gone completely pale.Not frightened.Terrified.The kind of fear that comes from seeing a nightmare you've spent years trying to prevent."We need to leave."Her voice was sharp.Urgent.Dangerous.I didn't move.Below us, hundreds of students remained kneeling.Motionless.Silent.Like worshippers.Like prisoners.Like people waiting for a command.Then the figure lowered its arm.The bell rang again.One final toll.And every lantern went out.At once.Darkness swallowed the grounds.Students rose together.Turned together.Walked away together.Not speaking.Not looking around.Simply obeying.The sight sent a chill through me."What just happened?"Vivi
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