Chapter 9 The Cruel Punishment

• The Blackwood mansion loomed like a fortress against the storm, its spires cutting into the midnight sky. Lightning cracked across the horizon, illuminating the rain-soaked grounds, while thunder rolled like the growl of some ancient beast.
• Inside, the storm was worse.
• The dining hall was deserted now, save for Elena, who sat alone at the long oak table. Silverware gleamed untouched before her, the remnants of a feast that felt like poison on her tongue. The echoes of Selena’s venomous words rang in her ears: “See, Damian? She was never faithful to you.”