Violet_167

Isabella Beaumont figured she was making a smart, if desperate, trade: her freedom in exchange for marrying the dreaded Duke Alaric Thorne. 
Sure, the guy had a reputation darker than a moonless night, whispered about in every corner of the kingdom, but it was just a contract, right? A way to escape a brutal past that had literally left its mark on her face. 
She wasn’t expecting warmth, and definitely not passion. But then Alaric, this formidable, feared man, starts acting… protective. His unexpected kindness will make her want to throw away her protective mask and actually fall for the man who was supposed to be just her ticket to freedom. 
Just as Isabella starts believing she might actually deserve happiness, everything begins falling apart around them.
With the villains on the loose, old wounds being ripped open, and everyone’s true colors showing, is this sudden, fierce love strong enough to survive the storm? Or will the darkness from their pasts and the deadly games shatter everything they’re starting to build?

The Masked Duchess

I stood frozen, the midnight blue silk clutched between my trembling fingers. That scent—that terrible, unmistakable scent—clung to the fabric like a specter from my nightmares. My mind raced back to Lord Malachi's chambers, to those glass cases with their vacant-eyed occupants. The connection was undeniable.


"Your Grace?" Clara's voice seemed to come from far away. "Should I fetch the Duke?"


I nodded, unable to form words as panic clawed at my throat. Clara hurried away, leaving me alone with the poisoned gift. I carefully laid the gown back in its box as if it might bite me, then backed away.


How? How had this happened? Elara Ainsworth had been my refuge, a woman whose kindness had been a balm to my wounded spirit. Had she betrayed me? Or was she merely a pawn in someone else's twisted game?


The door burst open as Alaric strode in, his expression thunderous. "What's happened?"


Chapter 105 - Scent of Betrayal