All Chapters of Shadows of the Vow: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

Annabelle's POV   I stayed standing after the Christmas tree was done. Not because I didn’t know what to do next, but because stillness felt earned. The lights blinked softly, patient, as if they had learned how to wait. Pine clung to the air, mixed with candle wax and something warmer…intention, maybe. I folded my hands loosely and let myself breathe. It felt right. That was the word that kept returning. Not beautiful. Not impressive. Right. I didn’t add anything else. Patty Mama was watching me from the edge of the sitting room. I had felt her before I saw her. It's only a few times that I've seen her react to things that way. Quiet presence, never interrupting a moment, only witnessing it. “You’re done,” she said. “Yes,” I answered, turning toward h

Antonioni's POV Malta had always pretended to be small.That was its greatest weapon. Coincidentally or maybe not so, I have never had anything to do with Malta, so consequently, my influence doesn't reach here.The room where they detained me smelled like disinfectant and old metal. Not rot. Not decay. Just sterility. The kind that pretends neutrality while stripping everything human out of the air.I sat with my hands on the table, uncuffed now, jacket folded beside me, posture intact. They always expect the posture to collapse first. Shoulders. Spine. Eye contact. I gave them none of that satisfaction.My lawyer, Gregory Francis arrived again, this time, without announcement. He never knocked. He never asked permission. That alone told me how bad this already was.“Antonioni,” he said, sitting opposite me, files already open, pen in hand. “We need to speak quickly.”I nodded. I didn’t ask about what. I already knew.“You’re being held under a provisional international detention or

Annabelle's POV Still frozen, I realized I was already sitting in the sitting room for a rather too long time, and I decided to step outside.The men were already on their way to meet Antonioni in the place where he was detained.As I stepped out, the Dome did not erupt all at once in my ears.It cracked first.I noticed it in the smallest things, the way footsteps stopped echoing, the way doors that were usually slammed shut were now pulled closed gently, as though the house itself had become fragile. Men who never hesitated were suddenly standing still, hands in their pockets, staring at nothing. Voices dropped. Even laughter, when it appeared, sounded wrong… brittle, like glass tapped too lightly.Then the crying began.Not screaming. Crying.It traveled through the Dome like a slow, spreading stain. From the servants’ quarters to the inner halls. From the kitchens to the corridors Antonioni rarely walked. Grown men wiped their faces with the backs of their hands and turned away q

Annabelle’s POVI walked quietly down the corridor toward Patty Mama’s room, each step measured as though the walls themselves were listening. The Dome was quieter than usual, a tense, fragile quiet, as if something had shifted and was waiting for reassurance.Patty Mama was lying on her bed, shoulders trembling, eyes red from hours of crying. Mama Espe sat beside her, hands folded, watching her with that calm authority only elders carried, the kind that made you feel even chaos had rules.I sat beside Patty Mama, placing my hand over hers. “She’s scared,” I whispered to Mama Espe, but it came as though it was to myself, or though it was to both of us. “But she’ll be okay.”“He’ll be back soon,” I said gently, as if speaking the words out loud might anchor them into reality. “Antonioni will be back. I know it. The letter… he promised. He always keeps his word.”Mama Espe nodded slowly, her eyes meeting mine. “I see him too,” she said softly. “He is not a bad man. He is a good man. He

Annabelle’s POVI woke before the sun, the faint gray of dawn slipping through the half-opened room's windows. The room was quiet, almost reverent, the kind of silence that demanded attention. I rose quickly, pulling on a simple jacket and sneakers, my mind already racing through the tasks ahead.I slid through the Dome. Most workers were still sleeping. A handful of them were awake too.Before leaving, I needed to make sure the Dome would hold together in my absence. I moved from room to room, organizing, assigning tasks, and setting rules that would keep the house running smoothly. The maids had their instructions: meals, cleaning schedules, rounds in the garden. I double-checked the inventory, made notes for essential supplies, and ensured that everyone understood their responsibilities.Mama Espe received supervision duties. Her calm presence could manage both staff and residents. Mr. Martinez, overseeing the technical and security systems of the Dome, had a clear mandate: report