Chapter 44: Unraveling the Past

The firelight cast shifting shadows across Adrian's study, but Seraphina barely noticed. The words he had spoken—Laurent was the one who betrayed your father—echoed in her mind, unraveling years of certainty and resentment.

She took a slow breath, steadying herself. "Laurent," she repeated, as if saying his name aloud would make the truth more tangible.

Adrian nodded, his expression unreadable. "He had the most to gain from your father's downfall."

Seraphina's fingers curled against the folds of her gown. "Then why has no one exposed him?"

Adrian exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Because he made sure there was nothing to expose. Every trail leading to him was buried. Every witness silenced or bought. And the few who suspected the truth lacked the power to act against him."

Her stomach tightened. "Including you."

His jaw tensed, but he did not deny it.

Seraphina let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "So you waited. You watched. And for what? The perfect moment?"

Adrian's gaze met hers, sharp and unyielding. "For proof."

The room felt too small, the air thick with the weight of unspoken things.

"You have it now, don't you?" she whispered.

Adrian hesitated only a moment before stepping toward his desk. He pulled open a drawer and withdrew a bundle of parchment, the edges worn and yellowed with age. He laid them before her, his expression grim.

Seraphina's breath caught as she scanned the documents.

Her father's name was scrawled at the bottom of one. The seal of House Everhart pressed into dark, hardened wax.

And just above it—another name. One that made her blood run cold.

Laurent Duval

Adrian's voice was quiet but firm. "Your father was not guilty of treason, Seraphina. He was framed."

The words struck her like a blow. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the parchment, the ink blurring before her eyes.

"My father… he was innocent?"

Adrian nodded. "Laurent manipulated everything. He turned the court against him, twisted evidence, and when your father was at his most vulnerable, he ensured his ruin."

Seraphina swallowed hard, her pulse hammering in her ears. All these years…

Her grief had been built on a lie.

Her hatred—misplaced.

She sucked in a breath, forcing the pieces to fall into place. "And what of you, Adrian?" she asked, her voice quiet but laced with steel. "Where were you in all of this?"

His jaw tightened. "Trying to stop it. But by the time I uncovered the truth, it was too late. Your father was already condemned, and Laurent had tightened his hold over the court."

Seraphina felt her pulse quicken. "And now? What do you intend to do?"

Adrian didn't hesitate. "Expose him."

She let out a slow breath, stepping back, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. "Genevieve…" she murmured, recalling their conversation from earlier that night.

She had warned Seraphina, but she had also made her allegiance clear.

And if she had chosen Laurent's side, then she was already lost to him.

Adrian watched her carefully. "Genevieve is dangerous, Seraphina. If she has aligned herself with Laurent, then she is not an ally."

Seraphina's throat tightened. Then she becomes a threat.

The realization burned.

She had lost her father to Laurent's schemes.

She refused to lose herself as well.

Lifting her chin, she met Adrian's gaze with quiet resolve. "Then we move first."

Adrian's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Now that's the woman I married."

Seraphina ignored the warmth that bloomed in her chest.

This wasn't about them.

This was about justice.

And she intended to have it.

No matter the cost.