Chapter 147
Chapter 147
Valencia’s POV:
The cell had plunged into a suffocating silence.
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Dante and Caius stood stiffly, their eyes refusing to meet, both men seemingly battling their own demons in the wake of the truth we had just uncovered,
The air felt heavy, thick with the stench of blood and filth. Even the dim torchlight that flickered along the damp stone walls seemed muted, as if the very walls of this dungeon absorbed every ounce of horror that took place within it.
Lilliana sat slumped in the chair, her body wrecked with exhaustion, her breathing ragged. Sweat and blood dripped down her temple, trailing over the swollen skin of her cheek. Despite the agony she must have been feeling, her lips twitched, her mouth curling into something that resembled an eerie smile.
A strange glint flickered in her dazed eyes, something dark–something unhinged.
And it unsettled me.
“How could you? How could you just watch as an innocent person died?” I asked, my voice tight with fury. She had known that Lethia was Aurora’s killer and had still framed and poisoned Tatiana.
Lilliana’s eerie grin widened.
“The same way she watched as many innocent people died.”
My stomach dropped.
A strange sense of unease crawled up my spine, my instincts screaming that something wasn’t right.
The way she looked at me–it wasn’t just madness from pain or delirium.
“What do you mean?” My voice was barely above a whisper.
She let out a slow, wheezing chuckle that quickly spiraled into full–blown laughter. It was a manic sound, raw and hoarse, like something had finally cracked inside her. The echo of it bounced off the stone walls, chilling me to my core.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Dante shift, his expression darkening as he watched her.
Lilliana’s laughter quieted, but the unhinged smirk remained. Her swollen eyes met mine with something that felt almost victorious.
“Did you ever wonder, little miss? Why…she treated you so differently?”
I felt my pulse throb against my temples.
“Who?”
“Tatiana.”
A lump formed in my throat.
Dante took a step forward, but I lifted a hand, stopping him. My voice felt hollow. “Why?”
Lilliana exhaled sharply through her nose, her grin faltering for just a moment before she spoke.
“Guilt.”
Chapter 147
A sharp ringing filled my ears.
Lilliana’s lips parted, as she whispered the words.
“She felt guilty. Because she stood there and did nothing while Lethia killed your mother.”
A violent shudder wracked through me, my breath hitching painfully in my chest.
“No…”
Lilliana started laughing again, something wild and crazed, like a person who had finally accepted their fate.
I moved before I could stop myself. My palm struck her cheek with a force that snapped her head to the side, silencing her.
The room stood still.
Dante exhaled sharply behind me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. My hands trembled at my sides, fingers twitching with the urge to dig my nails into something–anything–to ground myself in reality.
“How?” I demanded.
Lilliana didn’t answer. She only chuckled under her breath, her head lolling to the side, as if her mind had finally fractured beyond repair.
Dante moved then, closing the distance between us. His hand found my arm, his touch warm. I didn’t fight him when he gently pulled me back toward him, my body shaking with the weight of the revelation.
I refused to cry.
It wouldn’t be fair for me to break down when Dante, who was suffering just
as
much, hadn’t allowed himself to.
I clenched my jaw, swallowing back the lump in my throat as we turned toward the exit.
Before we left, Lilliana’s voice rasped out one last warning.
“You can know and learn the truth all you want,” she sneered, her voice rough. “But you have no proof against her. You can’t touch Lethia. You won’t even get close.”
Dante’s grip on my hand tightened, his body going rigid beside me.
Lilliana chuckled weakly, her head tilting back against the wooden chair. “They have powerful backing. You’ll be dead before you even get the chance to lay a finger on my Mistress.”
I turned back, my eyes locking onto her with a steady glare.
“We’ll see about that.”
With that, we left the dungeon, climbing the stone steps as the cold air from above greeted us.
At the top, we ran into Sir Joseph. Dante gave him a brief rundown of what had been said, his tone clipped and emotionless. Sir Joseph remained silent, before finally giving a small hesitant nod.
“I’ll take over from here,” he said quietly. “Caius will meet you in the library once he’s freshened up.”
Dante nodded.
I barely registered the rest of the conversation. My head was still spinning, my chest tight.
As soon as we reached our temporary bedroom on the sixth floor, Dante’s shoulders hunched, his posture finally breaking.
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08:51 Sun, 2 Mar
Chapter 147
Without a word, he disappeared into the bathroom.
I hesitated for a moment, my fingers tightening around Castor’s shell. Then, after a few minutes of waiting
The water running.
The sound of scrubbing.
Something felt off.
I carefully laid Castor on a pillow, making sure he wouldn’t roll off, before stepping into the bathroom.
“Dante?”
He was still scrubbing his hands.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw his skin–raw and red, his knuckles cracked, blood smearing across his fingers like ink.
“Dante, stop!” I rushed forward, grabbing his wrists and pulling them away from the water. His head jerked up, his lips parting slightly in surprise.
“It’ll heal,” he murmured. “Don’t worry.”
I exhaled sharply, my chest tightening as I guided his hands away from the sink. “That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. “Everything hurts at this point.” His voice dropped, rough and filled with something that made my stomach ache. “The more I try, the more I fail. I couldn’t avenge my mother. I killed the wrong person. I couldn’t even protect you. I couldn’t protect Castor–I don’t know what’s happening to him.” His voice cracked, his hands twitching in my grasp. “I feel useless.”
I stared at him, my throat closing up at the sight of the strongest man I knew–breaking.
He had always stood so tall. He had slowly become my shield, my protector. Mentally and physically.
But even the strongest walls could crumble.
“You’re not useless,” I whispered.
His head lowered. “Then why does it feel like I am?”
I took a deep breath, steadying my voice. “Because you’re trying to carry everything alone.”
He didn’t respond.
I lifted his hands to my lips, pressing a soft kiss against his knuckles. “You’ve always protected me, Dante. And I promise you -we will avenge your parents. But you don’t have to do it alone.”
I choked holding back my own sobs, because truly, I was breaking inside too.
His eyes met mine, something fragile flickering behind them.
Before he moved and captured my lips with his own.
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