جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 60

DahliaThe room looked like someone still lived in it.Everything was clean and carefully maintained. The bed was neatly made, the curtains were drawn back, and books filled the shelves. Perfume bottles sat on the dresser beside framed photographs, while a few dresses still hung inside the wardrobe.My chest tightened.I walked to the dresser and picked up one of the photographs. It showed Vivianne standing beside Zevran, his arm wrapped around her waist as they both smiled.I had seen photographs of her online, but this felt different. This was personal.Zevran looked genuinely happy. There was none of the coldness or guarded expression I had become used to. He was looking at Vivianne like she was the only person in the world who mattered.I picked up another photograph. They were standing on a beach, Vivianne resting her head against his shoulder while Zevran laughed at something she had said. His entire face looked different.I slowly put the photograph down.I thought I knew Zevra

ZevranThe following morning, I buried myself in work.It was easier that way. If I kept my head down and focused on reports, council matters, territory disputes and the endless stack of documents waiting for my approval, I wouldn't have to think about what had happened the night before.Unfortunately, my mind had no interest in cooperating.Every time I looked away from a document, I saw Dahlia standing in the doorway of Vivianne's room. I heard the hurt in her voice when she asked me to explain myself. I remembered the look on her face when I ordered her out.I had been cruel and there was no excuse for it.I knew that room was painful for me, but Dahlia hadn't known what she was walking into. She had been curious, maybe jealous, or just trying to understand why I had reacted so badly to Vivianne's name. Instead of explaining, I had lashed out at her.I pressed my fingers against my temples and forced myself to read the report in front of me. I got through three lines before giving

DahliaFor two weeks, I ignored every one of Aaron’s calls.I also stopped attending the meetings the court had ordered us to attend, and surprisingly, he never reported me. I had expected him to run to the court after the first missed meeting, especially now that he was determined to get me back. Instead, my phone would light up with his name occasionally, followed by messages I never opened.Then one afternoon, another message came through.I have something important to tell you about Zevran and Vivianne. Trust me, you need to hear this.I stared at it for a long moment.That was the first thing Aaron had said in weeks that actually caught my attention.Vivianne.The name had stayed in the back of my mind since dinner with Celeste and Sebastian. I had searched her online more times than I cared to admit, but there wasn't much. Vivianne Castle had clearly been important, yet most of what I found was limited to old articles, records, and pictures of her beside Zevran at official event

DahliaI stared at Zevran, completely unable to process what he had just said.For several seconds, neither of us moved. I searched his face for some sign that he was joking, that he was angry, or that he had just said the words because he wanted to shock me into silence.There was nothing.His expression remained painfully calm.“What did you just say?” I finally asked.His eyes stayed on mine.“I killed Vivianne.”My stomach dropped.The room seemed to tilt around me, and I instinctively reached for the edge of the desk to steady myself. I could hear my own breathing, quick and uneven, while Zevran stood only a few feet away like he had just told me something completely ordinary.“You killed her?”“Yes.” The answer came without hesitation.I shook my head. “No… no, you didn't.”Zevran's face barely changed. “I killed her just like you suspected or,” he paused, “maybe someone told you.”I stared at him.“What?” My fingers tightened around the edge of the desk. “How?”Zevran turned aw

DahliaI stared at Celeste, waiting for her to laugh but she didn't.Her face remained completely serious as she sat across from me, one hand still wrapped around her coffee cup. There was no shock in her expression, no hesitation, not even the slightest sign that she thought what she had just said was strange.I blinked several times.“You're saying that like it's normal.”Celeste frowned. “It's the truth.”“How are you so unbothered that your best friend was killed by her mate?”She lowered her cup. “Dahlia, what exactly do you want me to do?”“I don't know. Look horrified? Be angry? Something?”Celeste sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I knew this was going to be difficult to explain.”“Then explain it.”She studied me for a moment before speaking.“Zevran loved Vivianne.” Her voice softened. “And she was the person he trusted more than anyone. Losing her destroyed him.”I rolled my eyes subtly. “That doesn't explain why he killed her.”Celeste looked down at her coffee. “It wa