Chapter 39: Shadows and Secrets

Seraphina's breath came unsteady as she stood in the dim library, Adrian's grip still firm on her shoulders. His presence was overpowering, a force she could no longer ignore.

"You shouldn't have followed me," she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction.

Adrian exhaled, his hands tightening momentarily before he let go. "You shouldn't have come alone," he countered, his tone low and controlled. "You think I don't know what you're doing? You're pushing me away because you think it's the only way to keep control. But, Seraphina—" he leaned in, his voice dropping to a hushed intensity—"you lost control the moment you married me."

A tremor ran through her, not entirely from anger.

"You don't get to decide that," she retorted.

"Then tell me," he challenged, "if I had not been here tonight, what would you have done if this was a trap?"

She stiffened. "It wasn't."

"And yet you stand here, trembling."

Seraphina hated that he was right. Hated that, despite her resolve, the sight of him standing here, protecting her even when she hadn't asked him to, sent an unwelcome warmth through her chest.

She took a measured breath, forcing herself to focus. "I came here for answers, Adrian. Not for another argument with you."

Adrian studied her, then glanced toward the empty expanse of the library. "And have you received your answers?"

Silence stretched between them.

Seraphina swallowed hard. "Not yet."

Adrian's jaw clenched. "Then we wait together."

Before she could protest, he reached for the single candle on the table, lifting it to cast more light into the surrounding darkness. His presence, so solid, so unwavering, sent a wave of conflicting emotions through her.

But before she could dwell on them, the sound of a door creaking open echoed through the vast room.

Seraphina's pulse quickened.

Adrian stepped slightly in front of her, his posture shifting, ready to act.

A figure emerged from the shadows—a hooded man, his face obscured.

Seraphina clenched her fists at her sides.

"Are you the one who sent the letter?" she asked, keeping her voice even.

The man nodded. "Yes. And I meant for you to come alone." His gaze flicked to Adrian. "I see that was a wasted request."

Adrian's expression was cold, unreadable. "If you have something to say, say it quickly. My patience wears thin when my wife is summoned in secrecy."

The man hesitated, then slowly removed his hood.

Seraphina gasped.

It was Laurent.

The very man Adrian had named days ago. The name that had stirred something in the depths of Adrian's past.

Adrian went rigid. "Laurent." His voice was carefully neutral, but his eyes—they burned.

Seraphina turned to him, confusion tightening in her chest. "You know him?"

Laurent ignored her, his focus solely on Adrian. "It has been a long time."

Adrian's jaw flexed. "Not long enough."

Seraphina looked between them, the tension thickening.

"What is this?" she demanded. "What do you know about my father?"

Laurent's gaze shifted to her, his expression unreadable. "More than you might be ready to hear."

Seraphina's stomach twisted. "Tell me."

A long silence stretched. Then, finally, Laurent spoke.

"It wasn't just treason." His voice was quiet but firm. "Your father was framed."

The world tilted.

Seraphina's breath hitched. "What?"

Laurent took a step closer, his eyes dark with something unreadable. "And the man who had the most to gain from it… is standing beside you."

Seraphina's breath caught in her throat.

She turned sharply to Adrian—but he was already looking at Laurent, his expression like carved stone.

"No," she whispered.

Laurent continued, unrelenting. "The Duke of Valemont played a role in your father's fall."

Silence crashed over them, heavy and suffocating.

Seraphina stared at Adrian, searching his face.

Adrian didn't flinch. Didn't deny it.

Which meant—

It was true.

A sharp, unbearable pain twisted in her chest.

She had thought she was finally beginning to understand him.

But now—

Had she married the man responsible for her father's ruin?

Had she fallen into the very trap she had spent years trying to escape?

Her world had just shattered.

And Adrian Valemont was at the center of it