All Chapters of The silence between us : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The first light of dawn crept over the hills surrounding the estate, brushing the sky with streaks of lavender and muted gold. Lucy had never grown used to mornings here; they felt both ancient and alive, as if the vineyards themselves breathed out a mist that carried secrets older than the walls she lived within. The air smelled of damp earth and roses, sharp with the faint tang of the sea.She had woken early, long before the servants stirred, unable to quiet her restless mind. Gabriel’s presence the night before the way he had held her hand without speaking, the way his eyes had softened though his words had been few had unsettled her in ways she hadn’t expected. He had spent years building walls of iron and silence around himself. Now, cracks appeared, and through them, Lucy glimpsed the raw man who existed beneath the mask.She found herself standing at the grand window of the east wing library, arms wrapped tightly around her shawl. The library smelled of old parchment, ink, a

The estate carried the scent of smoke for days. No matter how many fires the men doused, how many windows they opened, the fragrance of battle clung stubbornly to the air, woven into the stones themselves. Lucy could feel it in her lungs when she breathed deeply, the acrid reminder that Joana’s reach had finally crossed the walls.But morning after morning, the estate pressed forward with the stubborn rhythm of survival. Masonry crews filled the courtyard with the clang of hammers and the scrape of stone, patching breaches with fresh mortar. Carpenters replaced the shattered gates, their voices rising in tired but steady songs. Gabriel had insisted on doubling the guard rotations, and though exhaustion was written plainly on the faces of his men, not a single one dared question him.Lucy moved through it all like a ghost in white linen, her presence both respected and feared. The men bowed their heads as she passed, and some even whispered her name. La Señora. The title no longer soun

Smoke still clung to the estate like a shroud.The walls that had stood proud and defiant that morning now bore the scars of fire and steel. Stones were blackened, fissures marked where Joana’s siege towers had struck, and the once bright banners of Gabriel’s house hung in tatters, their edges burned. The air reeked of ash, iron, and the copper tang of blood.Lucy stood in the courtyard, her gown ruined, streaked with soot and crimson that wasn’t all her own. Around her, men staggered, limped, or collapsed where they stood. Some cried out for water. Others whispered prayers. Many would not rise again.She pressed her hand to her mouth, willing herself not to break. But her eyes kept finding them the wounded being carried on stretchers, the still forms covered with cloth, the hollow faces of soldiers who had given everything and had nothing left.It was victory, Gabriel had told her, because the estate still stood. Yet in her heart, it did not feel like victory. It felt like survival s

Dawn came slowly, as if the sun itself hesitated to rise upon the blood soaked earth. Pale gold filtered across the Tuscan hills, touching the estate walls where defenders slumped against stone, too weary to notice its beauty. The air smelled of iron and smoke, sharp enough to sting the lungs.Lucy Benjamin stood on the ramparts, her cloak heavy with dew. She had not slept. No one had. She gazed across the valley where Joana’s camp spread like a stain upon the earth. Fires still burned from the night before, countless banners fluttering black against the first light. The army looked endless.She pressed her hand to the cold stone, steadying herself. Fear coiled in her stomach, not just for herself but for the people within these walls farmers turned soldiers, children huddling with their mothers, old men gripping rusted spears. And for Gabriel, who bore the weight of them all.A quiet step behind her made her turn. Gabriel approached, his armor polished though battered from the day be

The horns still reverberated across the ruined estate when the enemy ranks parted like a tide. Out of the smoke and fire she came, astride a pale horse, her armor gleaming with cruel elegance. Joana.Even from across the courtyard, Lucy felt the shift in the air. It was as though the battlefield itself bent beneath Joana’s will. Soldiers who had faltered now raised their blades with renewed fervor. The chaos stilled, reshaped by the gravity of her presence.Lucy’s throat tightened. She had heard the whispers: Joana was not simply a rival, but a force, a mind that wove chaos into victory. Seeing her now, tall and unyielding, her eyes sharp as glass, Lucy understood why men feared her as much as they revered her.“She’s here,” Lucy whispered.Gabriel’s hand closed around hers, grounding, unyielding. His armor was battered, his sword nicked and stained, yet his eyes blazed with a defiance that met Joana’s head-on.“Then the real battle begins,” he said.Joana reined in her horse just bey