جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 80

Caelan’s POVThe case summary lay open on my desk, but I had read the same paragraph four times without absorbing a word.I pushed the document away.Evander had made it clear that the official account could no longer be accepted without question. The missing evidence review, the altered records, and the witness statements had all raised doubts about what happened in the restricted room.Yet the part I couldn’t stop thinking about had nothing to do with the documents.It was the conversation I had forced Elowen to have with me two years ago.I pulled the case summary closer.The report stated that Elowen had accepted responsibility following a family discussion. Her written statement had been submitted before the final judgment, and the court had treated it as an admission of guilt.The wording was formal. It didn’t explain how the statement had been obtained or what had been said before she signed it.I knew what had happened before that meeting.At least, I thought I did.I remember

Kaelith’s POVDraven looked as though he would rather argue with anyone else in the room.Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t interested in making things comfortable.“You keep asking me to identify a specific statement,” he said, his voice tight. “But you don’t understand what Elowen is like.”“Then explain it to me.”Draven frowned.“What?”“You’ve questioned her honesty several times. You’ve suggested she’s withholding information from Evander and allowing her resentment to influence the investigation. If you have evidence for those claims, present it.”His jaw flexed.“I’m not required to justify every concern I have about her.”“No. But if you’re going to accuse her of dishonesty in front of the family, you should be able to explain why.”Caelan stepped between us slightly.“Kaelith, this isn’t helping.”“Then perhaps someone should stop making accusations that aren’t helping either.”Draven’s expression darkened.“You have no idea what happened in this family.”“That’s true.”My ans

Seraphine’s POV“Evander has been asking about the old inventory again.”I looked up from the letter I was pretending to read.“What inventory?”The servant standing near the door hesitated.“The records from the restricted room, my lady. I heard he visited the archives yesterday. Apparently, one of the documents is missing.”MY fingers tightened around the letter.“Missing?”“Yes, my lady.”“Which document?”“I don’t know. The servants were only discussing what they had heard.”I dismissed him with a nod and waited until the door closed before setting the letter aside. The restricted-room inventory.For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything beyond the sound of my own breathing.I had known Evander was examining the old criminal case. I had heard about his questions to Garrick, the missing witness, and his attempts to reconstruct what happened the night Elowen was found in the restricted room.But this was different. The inventory had recorded the sealed archival case that was present th

Draven’s POVI had never liked uncertainty.When Elowen returned from Blackstone, I had been certain she was hiding something. I remembered the way she avoided questions, how she withdrew from the family, and how little she seemed willing to explain herself.To me, those things had confirmed what I already believed.Now, every time I tried to defend that belief, someone asked me for evidence. Kaelith had done it in front of the entire family.Which specific statement of hers do you believe is false?I hated that question because I didn't know how to answer it.That didn’t mean Elowen was innocent.It meant I needed to remember why I had believed she was guilty in the first place.I sat at my desk, looking through the notes I had made about the incidents since her return. The necklace incident stood out among them. I remembered the accusations, the arguments, and the way everyone had been so quick to suspect Elowen.At the time, I hadn’t questioned it.Why would I?She had already been

Caelan’s POVThe prison record arrived shortly after breakfast.I almost sent it back.There was no reason I needed another document reminding me of what had happened to Elowen. Evander had already questioned me about the night I asked her to take responsibility, and the memories he had stirred up were difficult enough to live with.But the envelope bore the official seal of Blackstone Labor Prison, and the accompanying note stated that the information had been requested to verify the dates surrounding Elowen’s sentence and transfer.I opened it.Her name appeared near the top of the first page.Elowen Veyra. Sentence: Two years.I read the line twice.Two years.I knew how long she had spent there. I had known it when she returned to the estate, even if I had avoided thinking about the details.What I hadn’t understood was how the punishment had been decided, what information had reached the family before the judgment, or whether anyone had challenged the sentence after it was announ