Chapter 64 – The Edge of Secrets

The fire had long since died down, but the air in the chamber remained thick with the ghosts of revelation. Seraphina stood in its wake, her pulse hammering beneath her skin, a slow, steady drum of betrayal and uncertainty.

She had thought she understood the past. Had thought she had uncovered all its horrors, unraveled every thread of deception woven into her father's downfall.

But Adrian's words lingered.

A meeting between Everhart and Evelyne Valemont.

Her mind rebelled against the thought. Her father, a man who had gambled away his fortune and dignity, had also played a part—no matter how small—in the shadows that led to Adrian's mother's murder.

Adrian watched her carefully, his storm-gray gaze unreadable, but she could feel the restrained energy coiled beneath his stillness. He had given her time, let her burn the letter, let her deflect—but now the distance between them was fraying.

"You're quiet, wife," he murmured.

Seraphina turned to face him fully. "I am thinking."

His smirk was slow, edged with something dangerous. "That never bodes well for me."

She lifted her chin. "Then you should be very concerned."

Adrian's gaze darkened, the corner of his mouth twitching upward as he took a step closer. The air between them shifted, charged with something volatile, something neither of them had the patience to temper.

"You knew about the meeting," she accused, her voice laced with something sharp. "You suspected my father had knowledge of your mother's murder, yet you said nothing."

His expression didn't change, but she saw the flicker in his eyes—regret, or perhaps something darker.

"I told you," he said evenly. "I needed proof."

Seraphina scoffed. "And what? You thought I wouldn't be able to handle the truth?"

Adrian's lips pressed into a thin line. "I thought you deserved more than speculation."

She stepped toward him, tilting her chin defiantly. "Then tell me everything. No more withholding. No more waiting for me to be ready."

A muscle in his jaw ticked. "You are not going to like what I have to say."

Seraphina arched a brow. "Then it will match everything else about this marriage."

Adrian's smirk was sharp, but there was no amusement in his eyes.

He reached out suddenly, his fingers brushing against her wrist before sliding up to her forearm—a touch that burned, that seared straight through her frustration and into something deeper. "You don't trust me."

Seraphina's breath hitched, but she didn't step back. "You make it difficult."

Adrian's grip tightened slightly. "And yet, you defy the warning left for you." His voice dipped lower, sending a shiver down her spine. "You still stand before me, demanding the truth."

"Because I need to know," she breathed.

A dangerous silence stretched between them, crackling like embers stirred back to life.

Then, slowly, Adrian lifted his other hand, tracing a single finger along the curve of her jaw. "Then know this," he murmured. "Laurent ensured your father's ruin. But someone else ensured his silence."

Seraphina's pulse stuttered.

Adrian leaned in, his breath warm against her skin. "Your father was no innocent victim, Seraphina. He was a player in a game far more dangerous than you realize. And I suspect…" He paused, dragging out the moment, the anticipation curling around them like a noose. "He knew who truly ordered my mother's death."

The breath rushed from her lungs.

"Laurent," she whispered. "The ledger—"

Adrian's lips brushed against her cheek, featherlight. "Laurent carried out the act. But he was not the only one who wanted her dead."

Seraphina trembled, her mind spiraling through the implications. "Then who?"

Adrian exhaled, his mouth now hovering near her ear. "That is the question, isn't it?"

Her hands curled into his shirt, gripping the fabric tightly. The heat between them was unbearable, an inferno stoked by secrets and tension.

Adrian pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his expression unreadable. "You are not ready for the answer."

Seraphina's nails dug into his chest. "Then make me ready."

A flicker of something dark, something consuming passed through his gaze. "You do not know what you ask."

"I know exactly what I ask." Her voice was a whisper, a dare.

Adrian's control snapped.

With a sharp inhale, he closed the distance between them, his mouth crashing against hers in a kiss that was nothing short of a battle. His grip tightened at her waist, pulling her flush against him as if he could devour the secrets between them.

Seraphina gasped into him, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling, demanding. He responded with a growl, his hands roaming over the silk of her robe before slipping beneath it, fingers tracing fire along her spine.

"Tell me," she murmured against his lips, her breath ragged.

Adrian bit back a curse, pulling away just enough to rest his forehead against hers. "You will know soon enough."

She exhaled shakily. "You're infuriating."

A smirk ghosted his lips. "And you are relentless."

Seraphina's eyes burned into his. "So what now?"

Adrian's thumb traced her lower lip, his expression unreadable. "Now, wife, we prepare for war."

The past was unraveling, and the answers they sought lay on the edge of ruin.

And neither of them were ready for what they were about to find.