Chapter 47 Fractured Loyalties

• The drive back to Cross Hall felt endless. Scarlett stared out the window, watching city lights blur past like distant memories she could no longer grasp. Beside her, Damien sat rigid, eyes fixed on the road. The silence between them was heavier than any confession.
• When they reached the gate, the iron bars gleamed in the porch light. Damien opened the car door, and Scarlett stepped out first, her legs shaky beneath her. She walked up the stone steps alone, each footfall echoing in the night. Damien followed, closing the car door gently behind him.
• Inside the grand entrance, Serena met them with a worried frown. “Scarlett, are you”