Chapter 34: Secrets and Shadows

The night air carried the scent of rain, mingled with the crisp autumn breeze that whispered through the trees. Cavendish Manor was quiet at this hour, the grand halls shrouded in a heavy stillness, yet I could find no peace within its walls.

I stood near the window of my study, a glass of untouched brandy in my hand, watching as the last embers of the sunset faded beyond the distant hills.

Eleanor had not turned away from me.

And yet, something lingered between us—something unspoken, something fragile.

I could see it in the way she looked at me now, as though searching for something just beyond her reach. In the way her touch, once effortless, now carried hesitation. Doubt.

And I could not blame her.

The diary had forced my mother’s truth into the light, a truth I had spent my entire life running from. And now, Eleanor had seen it too. Seen the weight of my father’s cruelty, the shadows of his sins.

I had vowed to be different.