The War.

Chapter 35: Manipulation?

TW: ROGER
okej guys this one's happy don't come for me (looking at you ruby)

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Even knowing there was no chance, Roger got up, thinking maybe, just maybe, he could escape. But just as he reached for the door, Mia walked in.

"Trying to escape, I see? Good luck with that," she said with a smirk. "Letters?"

Roger rolled his eyes and nodded toward the desk, where the letters lay.

"Finally," Mia muttered, grabbing them. She glanced at the one labeled for Siobhan. "Well, we'll save this one for when..." She paused, her voice suddenly less sure. "If we find her."

Roger smirked, and Mia rolled her eyes right back at him.

"Now," she said, her voice taking on a cold edge, "we need you unconscious so you won't try to escape again. And it's way too cold in here for me to wait around."

"What? No, no, no," Roger said quickly, panic starting to creep in.

"Oh yes," Mia said, her tone mockingly sweet. "Where's Reece when we need him?"

"Right behind you," Reece's voice came from the doorway as he walked in, stepping beside Mia.

"Perfect!" Mia beamed, grabbing the letters and darting out of the room as Reece, without hesitation, knocked Roger out cold.

They went up to the living room, she handed Autumn and Reece theirs, and slowly began reading hers.

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Mia's eyes twitched as she read on. What the actual fuck? she thought. She knew Roger was cruel, but this was batshit crazy. In anger, she tossed the paper down, rolling her eyes. She wanted to burn it, but before she could, Charlotte picked it up, unfolding Mia's crumpled mess and reading it herself.

"What is wrong with him?" Charlotte asked, disbelief laced in her voice.

"Everything," Mia replied, her blood boiling deep inside her. "This is not a fucking apology. This is him saying he doesn't regret manipulating me?! The fuck?!" she shouted, her voice growing louder with each word.

Reece's wasn't much better. "You were my favorite punching bag?!" he shouted, his voice shaking with rage. "You were so easy to control?! A pawn in my game?!" he continued, fists clenched.

Marjorie, hearing the commotion, took the letter from him and skimmed through it, her expression darkening. "You better torture him hard for this one," she mumbled under her breath.

"Oh, no, no, no— we're fucking killing him," Mia jumped in, her voice sharp and unwavering, still seething with anger. Each breath grew more rapid as Reece and Mia exchanged a look, the unspoken plan of revenge hanging heavily between them. They knew exactly what needed to be done. This wasn't about torture anymore— this was about justice.

As Reece and Mia angrily discussed their so-called 'apologies,' Autumn sat quietly, on the verge of tears. Her letter felt like a deeply personal attack—but delivered in a disturbingly calm, almost sweet way. The words "my darling daughter" chilled her to the core, sending shivers through her as they gave her a false sense of security, a fleeting illusion of care.

Deep down, a small part of her wanted to believe he meant it, that there was an ounce of truth in his apology, especially when he mentioned destroying her relationship with Reece. She wanted to believe her father was sorry. But the rational part of her knew better—knew this was just another layer of his manipulation. Still, the uncertainty lingered, leaving her torn between the sliver of hope and the overwhelming certainty that he wasn't, and never would be, truly sorry. Or was he?

"Aut? You okay?" Reece asked, his tone softening with concern as he noticed the shift in her.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, standing abruptly and walking out of the room. Her pace quickened as she headed straight for her bedroom, away from everyone.

"Where's Winter?" Charlotte asked, looking around.

Mia shrugged, her attention elsewhere. "Winter?" Charlotte called out louder.

Winter appeared in the doorway. "Yes?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room for signs of trouble.

"Autumn needs you," Reece said, his voice steady but urgent.

Winter's eyes widened with concern. He nodded without hesitation, rushing up the stairs, his heart pounding. Autumn was his everything—

his wife,

his love,

his goddess—

and he couldn't stand the thought of her being in pain. Without wasting another second, he pushed the door open, ready to comfort her however she needed.

"My love?" Winter called out softly, his voice barely above a whisper. Autumn stayed silent, her eyes fixated on the rain pouring down the window, each drop matching the heaviness in her chest.

Without another word, Winter sat down beside her, his hand moving gently to rub comforting circles into her back. "My love, is everything okay? Reece said you needed me," he asked, his voice tender but filled with concern.

Autumn said nothing, her gaze still locked on the storm outside. Instead, she passed the letter to him, her hand trembling slightly, but she didn't turn her head.

Winter's eyes scanned the words quickly, his expression darkening with every sentence. As he reached the end, he threw the letter down, fury bubbling up inside him. His eyes flared with anger. "That bastard," he muttered through clenched teeth.

"My love, he is trying to manipulate you. He's underestimated your strength—he thinks you're vulnerable. But clearly, he doesn't know you at all," Winter said calmly, his voice steady and reassuring.

"Mhm," Autumn mumbled, still unsure, her mind clouded with doubt.

Winter gently lifted her chin, his eyes locking onto hers. "My love, he thinks you're weak and manipulable, but you're going to show him you're not. These words aren't true, and he's lying, trying to earn your trust. But you are stronger than that. You're going to show him you aren't that scared little girl who's afraid of him anymore."

Autumn's eyes lit up, the doubt fading as determination surged through her. She stood up, her confidence renewed, ready to confront her father and prove him wrong.

"There's the woman I married," Winter said softly, his eyes glistening with pride as he gazed at his beautiful wife, loving every aspect of her strength and resilience.

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• !! some happy wintumn content !! •

if you haven't noticed yet wintumn is my fav ship and i am actually wintumns daughter and my name is hana fortune-knight !!

sorry for short chapter i have tons of hw but i promised myself i'd post it td !!

anyways my new tiktok is @autschiid and since you're reading rn you clearly love me enough to give me a follow, right ?! (jk you don't have to obvi but i would really appreciate if you did <3)

•!! hope you enjoyed !!•

bye loveliess <3