Chapter 41: Fractured Loyalties

Seraphina walked blindly through the corridors of Valemont Manor, her pulse roaring in her ears. The echoes of Adrian's words still clung to her like a suffocating shroud.

"I was the one who uncovered the evidence against him."

Each step she took felt heavier, as though the weight of betrayal pressed down on her bones.

She wasn't sure how long she walked, nor where her feet carried her, until the cool night air hit her skin. The gardens. She had somehow stumbled into the moonlit hedgerows, the scent of damp earth mingling with the roses.

Her hands clenched into fists.

How could Adrian have kept this from her? How could she have lain beside him, let him touch her, let herself soften toward him—only to find out that he had played a part in her father's ruin?

A rustle behind her made her stiffen.

"I thought you might come here."

The deep timbre of Adrian's voice sent a tremor through her, but she refused to turn. "Are you here to justify yourself again?"

A long pause. "No."

She exhaled sharply. "Then why did you follow me?"

"Because you are my wife."

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Convenient, isn't it? When it suits you, I am your wife. When it doesn't, you keep secrets from me."

At that, he moved closer, his presence a force against her back. "Do you truly think I kept this from you out of malice?"

She turned, her eyes blazing. "You let me believe my father was an innocent victim!"

Adrian's jaw tightened. "Because I knew you wouldn't be ready to hear the truth."

"The truth?" she bit out. "Or your truth?"

His expression darkened, but he didn't flinch. "Both."

She searched his face, wanting to see guilt, remorse—anything that would make sense of this. Instead, she saw only resolve.

The same unwavering resolve that had drawn her to him. The same strength that had made her believe, for just a moment, that she was safe with him.

Foolish.

Adrian exhaled and stepped back, as if sensing that pushing her now would only make her flee. "Laurent told you only part of the story. You know that."

Seraphina hesitated. She hated that a part of her did know.

But she wasn't ready to admit it.

She turned away. "I need time."

Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words.

Finally, Adrian nodded. "Then take it."

And with that, he left her standing alone in the moonlight.

But for the first time, Seraphina wasn't sure she wanted to be.