All Chapters of A Scandal With Mr. Nightwood: Chapter 221 - Chapter 230

“After I got up from that mud… I didn’t know where else to go, so I went back…” I told Kristine, my voice sounding completely hollow but the sting was present.I stared at the wall, forced to relive the dark void that swallowed me that night.“The house was dead quiet. The blood was still on the carpet. Mama’s blood. My sister was gone. All that was left on the wall was the Sparrow Crest…”PAST:I stood in the middle of the dark hall with tears glistening on my cheek. My eyes overwhelmed by betrayal, my heart threatened to burst. I had nothing. No family to bury my mother. No sister to protect. No legion to stand behind me. No brother to share my grief. Dorian had cast me aside like garbage. I was hollow, an empty vessel breathing useless air in a world that had stripped me down to absolute zero.I fell to my knees right in the center of the living room, staring at the thick, dark crimson stain on the rug.“Mama…” I choked out, my shaky fingers extending to touch the blood, “I am s

ZAYNE’S POV******************Dawn broke over the horizon. It was time to leave before her security—or worse, her brothers—realized I'd slipped into the estate. I thought sharing the sting would reduce my pain. But, it made me more miserable. “They threw me into the mud like a dead dog, Kristine,” My voice was hoarse, hanging my head low.By the time I finished recounting that night, I couldn't stop shaking.“That night, sitting in the freezing rain, watching those gates slam shut in my face…” My body went numb. Blood. Kieran's outstretched hand. The memories crashed over me all at once. “I realized I had no mother, no sister, no leader, and no brother… Dorian stripped me of everything, left me to rot, and walked away.”I slowly looked up at her with an intense stare. Kristine sat completely frozen on the bed. Her eyes were wide, brimming with tears, her face pale.She couldn't speak—the weight of my trauma was suffocating the room.I reached out, taking her chin and forcing he

DORIAN’S POV******************“Carmine is alive. I hid her. Somewhere safe…” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, my eyes locked on Zayne. “...As my bride.”Zayne was immobilized. His mind was unable to process the information.“Wh.. What? What are you saying, Dorian?” Kristine whispered, narrowing her eyes, searching for a lie. She shook her head in denial, a warning to not toy with her husband’s heart. She thought I was lying.“I am not lying, Kristine.” Curling my hand in a fist, I attempted to control my raging heart too. Waiting for Zayne to react first. Slowly, his numbness shattered into a feral fury. Breathless, almost devastated, he glared at me before grabbing me viciously by the lapels of my coat.“How dare you?!” He screamed, his mind no longer functioning properly.He slammed me back against the marble pillar, ignoring the groan of pain that escaped his own shattered shoulder. “How dare you hide my sister for three years?! And marry her?!” I didn't fight ba

A week.Seven days. One hundred and seventy five hours.Every passing second was mocking my sanity. I paced across the living room for the hundredth time, dragging a hand through my hair before turning around and repeating the same path all over again.“Zayne. I am your brother, Hello– No dammit.” She was alive.Carmine was alive.The thought still refused to settle inside my head.“Zayne. Carmine. Siblings. We. Together.” “She is not illiterate, Zayne.” Kristine's gentle voice interrupted my restless thoughts.“Right…” I exhaled, breathless, clutching my heart. “Right, right. Hello Carmine. I am…”“Your only brother. Zayne Nightwood.” Kristine completed my words for me, instructing me. “Your… only brother… Zayne.” The words rolled heavily on my tongue. For years, I had forgotten the sensation of it.“What if she doesn't come?” I muttered and began my pacing again.“What if something happens on the way? What if Dorian changes his mind? What if—”“Zayne.”She stood in front of me,

KRISTINE’S POV*********************Zayne and Carmine were still upstairs in the bedroom. I genuinely hoped they were sharing a heartfelt moment. To place all the hatred behind so we all could begin anew with no more secrets.“Do you think he will forgive you after that?” I asked Dorian, who was casually scrolling through his phone. He seemed absurdly calm for a husband who had just been reunited with his wife after three whole years. Or maybe it was just me, so used to Zayne's extreme, tempestuous reactions that normal composure looked bizarre. “He has to. I had cut the very roots of his hatred.” He shrugged.Turning off the screen and giving me a reassuring smile, pinching my cheeks.“See. I told you, trust me.”Folding my arms at my chest, I took a step towards him.“Did you truly not see her for three years?”“No,” he replied nonchalantly. “I didn’t. I couldn’t risk her safety.”I stared at him for a solid minute, scanning his face up and down. My expression slowly twisted in