ALL US VILLAINS

Chapter Thirty-Six

Diana entirely shut down on Liam seconds after reading the note she wrote herself. She hasn't spoken a word since, unable to bring herself to do so. After everything that she has faced, Liam cannot blame her. She had been in a terrible state when he collected her from the dungeon. Her hair had already been blacked from the dirt and knotted along the ends.

Perched on the edge of her favorite chair, Diana stares off into space. Though her body may physically be inside of her bedroom, it's obvious that she is not truly here. She's in a place that is unreachable for Liam.

As much as he does not want to leave her, Liam has to investigate the situation. This is the second time that the sorceress has been accused of murder within the last year. Someone wants the woman to be locked away in a place where no one can remember her.

Chances are, it's the very same person that killed Andrew. Whoever it is, they must be an individual with access and power. They can maneuver their way through the palace unnoticed and have been for the past several years. They have access to sorcerers powerful enough to manipulate Diana when she is weakened.

If Liam digs enough, he will uncover the truth. He just has to look in the correct places.

"I know what you're thinking," Diana claims. Her voice is hoarse and hollow— as though she has spent the last hour or so screaming. She keeps her head angled toward the room's fireplace and her arms wrapped tight around her knees. "Since I issued myself a warning through the note, I should know who Andrew's true murderer is." Vigorously shaking her head, Diana squeezes her eyes shut. "But I don't. I've been trying to pick my brain apart to remember, but I can't."

Her voice cracks at the end of the sentence. Tears leak out of her shut eyes, falling down her cheeks.

Liam kneels before her, wiping her tears away. "It's alright." She shakes her head more violently, denial leaving her lips. "It's alright," he insists. He tucks her hair behind her ear to get a better look at her face. Her eyes are swollen from crying and her cheeks are slightly flushed. "Do not torture yourself over something that you cannot help. I do not want you to do that."

Diana's lip quivers. She takes his hand in hers, her grip tight. "All this time—"

"I know." Guilt stabs through him. He should have confronted her sooner. Perhaps it would have spared her from the current heartbreak that she is facing. "I knew."

He can feel her grip on his hand loosen. Diana leans away from him. The physical distance does not feel nearly as large as the mental distance growing between them. Liam can practically see the walls that Diana is beginning to build. "For how long?"

"Since you were accused of killing Reginold Tymbrick." He bites back all of the excuses wanting to spill out of his lips. Regardless of his reasoning and intentions, Liam failed to inform Diana she was innocent in the murder of Andrew.

Clearing her throat, the sorceress looks away from Liam. "The unfortunate thing is, if you had told me, I would not have believed you."

Liam huffs out a pathetic sigh. "I still should have told you. I apologize for not doing so."

Getting to her feet, Diana walks over to the bathroom. "I believe I am going to take a bath." She does not spare her husband a single glance while she goes. Before Liam can respond, Diana enters the bathroom and firmly closes the door behind her.

*****

Though Liam harbors some form of resentment for his older brother, there's something about being inside of Andrew's room that is still calming to him. Almost everything in the space is exactly as his brother had left it before he died. Andrew's unmade bed has the same, dusty old sheets that have recently faded into a more dull blue. The papers strewn across his desk are still in a complete disarray.