Chapter 13: A Whisper in the Dark

The Vasiliev mansion was a place of marble and crystal, of incalculable wealth and deafening silences. Anne, once fearful of getting lost in its endless corridors, now walked them with an eerie familiarity. Not because she felt at home, but because she had learned to survive within them.

And in that world of shadows and opulence, Lucian Vasiliev had become his only light.

At first, he was an unexpected refuge. His very presence protected her from Petrovna's abuse, from Viktoria's scorn, from the inquisitive glances of the other servants. No one dared to touch her if he was near. No one dared raise their voice to her when they knew he was watching her.

Eventually, Anne stopped wondering why he did it.

She had begun to get used to his presence. To his manner of appearing unannounced, of leaning beside her and speaking in whispers that only she could hear. To the subtle brushes of his fingers as he handed her something, to the lingering glances that felt like a promise.

-Lucian... -His name escaped her lips one night, when he found her in the greenhouse, trembling after an encounter with Viktoria. She didn't know what prompted her to say it. She just needed something. Someone.

Lucian watched her, his sharp eyes softening just barely as he saw her so vulnerable.

-Did he hurt you? -he asked in a tone that was almost kind, but with a dangerous edge.

Ana shook her head, though the truth was more complex. He hadn't hurt her physically, but Viktoria's every word was a blow to her morale. A reminder of her fragility in that world.

Lucian raised a hand and, with surprising gentleness, stroked her face with the backs of his fingers.

-You don't have to bear it alone, Ana," he murmured. I'm here.

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting his voice envelop her. No one had ever said anything like this to her before. No one had ever offered her refuge.

Lucian protected her. Lucian understood her.

And so, little by little, she stopped questioning the strange dynamic forming between them. She didn't notice how he isolated her from the rest, how his words shaped her perception of reality. She didn't see the warnings in the way his touch was becoming more and more frequent, how his words seemed to dictate to her who she was and who she should be.

To Anne, Lucian was the only one who saw her. The only one who offered her anything resembling safety.

But in the darkness of the Vasiliev mansion, a whisper was never just a whisper. And salvation could be the most dangerous trap of all.