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

Time slowed as Silas's poisoned dagger sliced through the air toward me. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe—my small blade a pathetic defense against his lethal weapon. This was it. The end.


Then suddenly, a blur of movement. A body throwing itself between us. A terrible, wet sound of metal penetrating flesh.


Mariella stood before me, her body jerking as Silas's dagger plunged deep into her chest. Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth forming a small 'o' of surprise.


"Mother!" I screamed, the word tearing from my throat.


Silas looked as stunned as I felt, his hand still gripping the dagger embedded in Mariella's body. He yanked it free with a sickening sound, and dark blood bloomed across her dress, the green poison spreading visibly through the fabric.


Mariella's knees buckled. I lunged forward, catching her as she collapsed. Her weight brought us both to the ground, her head cradled in my lap.


Chapter 132 - A Mother's Sacrifice, A Daughter's Anguish