로그인Puzzled!Bella’s hands trembled violently against her lap while Aria instinctively stepped forward as though she could somehow shield her from whatever waited outside.Eleanor remained the only person whose expression did not fully crack at that moment in the room even though she had gone still.The knock came again all in three slow taps. Bella swallowed painfully before forcing herself to stand. Her knees nearly failed her the moment she rose from the bed.“Don’t open it yet,” Lydia whispered quickly.Bella looked toward the door anyway.There was this calmness in his voice that frightened her more than his anger ever had.“Bella,” he called again from outside. “Open the door.”Silence followed immediately after. The entire room seemed to hold its breath waiting for her answer.Aria moved closer to Bella. “You don’t have to speak to him.”“Yes, she does,” Eleanor said quietly.Everyone turned toward her. “If she refuses now, he will force his way inside anyways” she shrugged.Bella
A Good Decision?The room remained silent long after Lydia finished speaking as it felt as though everyone were giving it a good thought.Nobody moved immediately after she was done. The fear hanging in the air had become too heavy to ignore now, pressing against their chests until breathing itself felt difficult.For a while, it felt like everything was about to fall apart. All Bella could hear amidst all of this was her heart beating…It was so loud that it felt like anyone in the room could hear it. She still held Eleanor’s hand tightly as though letting go would somehow allow the walls around them to swallow her whole.“You cannot stay here,” Bella whispered again.This time her voice sounded weaker.It came out more desperate than she had intended.Eleanor looked at her quietly before pulling her hand free with surprising gentleness.“And where?” she asked.Bella opened her mouth but no answer came. She thought about it too for what felt like minutes but couldn't make out anyth
It Gets Worse.The moment the bedroom door closed behind them, Bella pulled away from Eleanor’s grasp immediately as she was still feeling irritated.“Don’t touch me.” Her voice cracked violently.Eleanor froze while Aria slowly shut the curtains against the gray evening light pouring through the windows. The room suddenly felt too small for the suffocating silence hanging inside it.Bella staggered toward the bed before stopping halfway. Her entire body still shook but it wasn't from fear anymore…It was from shock.The blood on her dress had already begun drying against the fabric, darker now beneath the candlelight. Every time she looked down at it, she saw Marcus again…Begging, crying.Then that silence that had left every bit of tension in its wake.Bella covered her mouth instantly as another wave of nausea twisted through her stomach.Aria rushed toward her carefully. “Ma’am Bella…”“I can still see it.” Bella whispered.Her knees nearly gave out again, but this time Eleanor
Heart's Break.The sound of Bella collapsing shattered whatever tension remained inside the hall.“Bella!”Eleanor caught her before her body struck the marble completely, but the impact still echoed through the suffocating silence around them. Aria rushed forward immediately, both hands trembling as she grabbed Bella’s shoulders.A feeling of tension filled her heart immediately, she could feel the tension running through her veins…“Get water!” someone shouted.“No—move back, give her space!” Another called out The room was all in a state of daze, they felt conflicted whether to help or just stand back. Andre himself did nothing as panic spread faster than the blood soaking the floor. Marcus’s body still twitched faintly near the staircase.His severed head remained faced sideways, eyes half-open as though frozen in terror even after death.Several servants were crying now. Others kept their heads lowered, too afraid to look directly at Andre standing in the middle of the destruc
Darkness After Nightmares.Morning arrived without that known warmth, not that there was anything to look forward to.Regardless, that frequent hovering dark clouds covered the sky above the estate while cold wind moved through the pack grounds carrying the feeling of anxiety still lingering from the previous night.Nobody spoke loudly inside the mansion anymore as it was as though they were hypersensitive to the looming danger.Servants moved carefully through the halls with lowered eyes while guards avoided unnecessary conversation entirely. The atmosphere felt heavy…like something terrible waited beneath the surface ready to split open at any moment.“Gather everyone to the main hall." The order came swiftly.No explanation followed and that alone was enough to make fear spread quickly…One by one they arrived at the hallway just as he had Instructed.Guards lined themselves near the walls first and following them were the servants gathered near the back while the higher-ranking
The Things Left Unsaid…The sitting room remained silent long after Andre left. None of the women moved immediately.It was as though the moment the door closed behind him, the warmth inside the room disappeared with it. Only the low crackling from the fireplace remained alive beneath the suffocating silence hanging over them—Aria was the first to breathe again. She lowered herself slowly into the chair nearest to her and rubbed both hands together nervously.“I have never seen him look like that before,” she whispered.Bella still stood where Andre had left her. Her eyes remained fixed on the doorway while her thoughts twisted endlessly inside her head.Dead? The word kept repeating itself.Theo is dead?Yet somehow the sentence refused to settle properly in her chest. Eleanor watched Bella carefully from across the room. The older woman had remained unusually quiet ever since Andre walked in. Her expression carried something deeper than grief now…Something unsettled.Aria looked t
A Mistake?“Damn! Andre." He cussed as he stormed into the passageway that led to his wing.Theo found Amardi near the lower courtyard waiting with most of the servants long since withdrawn.Amardi stood with his hands clasped behind him, staring at nothing in particular. He did not turn when Theo
Chapter 22Unfinished TermsBella did not release her father’s hand until they were halfway up the stairs. It felt to her like he might disappear if she did.All of sudden she forgot he was to be blamed for her plight as she tugged on.Her father, though surprised, walked briskly behind her. “Wher
Lurking In Darkness.The corridor led back to Bella's room who was completely unaware of the conversation just underneath her window if she looked outside.She wasn't in her room anyways. Bella had remained where she was until her father disappeared beyond the curve of the staircase. Only then did
What Lingers in SilenceThe morning came quietly, almost too precise for a place that had known so much unrest the night before. It almost didn't feel like it even as the sunlight slipped through the tall windows in rays. Settling across the room in soft glitters.It brushed over the bed, over the







