Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE DUKE'S FORBIDDEN PROPHECY: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 35

(Paige’s POV)A sharpness spreads across my face, warm and pulsing. Not the deepest ache I know. That night his fingers dug hard into my skin - deeper than this. And before, when the frozen lake gave way, fear ran colder.This is different.This hurt carries a name. Not just feeling, but label. It ends what Beatrice said, like punctuation carved in stone. Something went wrong in the story - this is where it shows.Into another room she takes me, grip like iron on my arm. Not the soft blue one this time. This space feels distant. Tall, thin windows let in pale light. Everything here stands rigid. Chairs that do not welcome. She shoves me down into one - plush fabric, cold seat. Silence settles fast.Her words come calm now, though I still hear echoes of that shriek from the icehouse. Understanding matters, she implies, placing emphasis on what comes next. Movement draws my eye - she crosses toward a dark wooden desk. A pile of crisp documents waits there. Her fingers lift them without

(Paige’s POV)Floor's icy touch digs deep, settles in my bones like an old ache. Real. Only truth here. That dream-music from the dance? Gone. Quiet now - so quiet it hums. Her voice still hangs there. Hand over the pen.This thing I hold - mine. Every word on the page - shaped by me. Messed up, falling apart, still belongs to me.Hours pass before I rise. The maid comes back, carrying a tray unlike the earlier one. This holds only a cup of broth. A piece of toast, plain and crisp. Water in a small glass. Nothing more. Sustenance meant for someone broken. Meant for bodies locked away. Where strength is measured by what you’re allowed to eat.It sits next to me now, placed there without a word. Her hands move fast, like she fears being caught. I watch how she glances at me - quick, sharp - then pretends to look elsewhere. What haunts her shows clear. That works just fine.Up I rise when she's gone, movement stiff, every joint creaking under its own weight. From the table, I lift the gl