Betrayed by Blood: Into the Mafia's Shadow ( Season 2 )

Chapter 4 : The Dark Secret

The air in the mansion felt heavier tonight, thick with an eerie silence that crept into Evelyn's bones. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the window, her mind racing as the events of the past few days played over and over again in her head. Ethan's words still lingered, haunting her.

You're already mine.

It was true—he had her cornered, trapped in this place, his cold presence always looming over her like a shadow she couldn't shake. But it wasn't just his control over her life that made her heart race with a mix of fear and anger; it was something darker, something that lay just beneath the surface of everything he did.

The door creaked open, and Evelyn's heart leapt into her throat. She turned sharply, half expecting Ethan to be standing there with that same smug, confident look in his eyes. But it wasn't him. It was an older woman—one of the housemaids—her face etched with concern.

"Miss Walker," she whispered, her eyes darting nervously around the room as if someone could be watching. "You shouldn't be out of your room tonight."

"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked, her voice tight, confused by the woman's sudden fear. "Why not?"

The maid stepped closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's dangerous. When the moon is high like this, strange things happen in this house. The master—he..."

She trailed off, her eyes wide with fear, and for the first time, Evelyn saw the cracks in the staff's carefully composed facade. They were afraid. Terrified, even. But afraid of what? Or who?

"Is it Ethan?" Evelyn asked, her heart pounding in her chest. "What does he do?"

The maid swallowed hard, her hands trembling. "Please, miss. Just stay in your room tonight. Lock the door. Don't come out until morning."

Before Evelyn could press for more, the maid hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her. The click of the lock sent a shiver down Evelyn's spine. Something was wrong. Something more than the twisted power games Ethan liked to play. The tension in the house tonight was palpable, like the air was waiting for something to happen, something terrible.

Evelyn crossed the room to the window, her breath fogging the glass as she leaned in close. The full moon hung high in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the grounds below. Shadows danced across the lawn, and for a brief moment, Evelyn thought she saw something moving—something too fast to be human.

Her pulse quickened. What had the maid meant? What was she so afraid of?

Determination surged through her. She wasn't going to sit here and let fear consume her. If there was something strange going on in this mansion, she needed to know what it was. She wasn't Ethan's prisoner. Not in her mind, at least. And if there was a way out of this place, she would find it.

She slipped on her shoes and crept to the door, turning the lock as quietly as possible. Every instinct told her to stay inside, to hide until morning, but curiosity and defiance overrode her fear. She had to know.

The hallway was dark, the only light coming from the dim lamps that lined the walls. It felt colder than usual, the chill seeping into her skin as she tiptoed down the corridor. Her footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor, and the silence was deafening, save for the faint rustling of leaves outside.

As she approached the grand staircase, Evelyn heard it—a soft, almost imperceptible sound. Breathing. Heavy and labored, like something struggling for control. Her heart raced, and she pressed herself against the wall, peering cautiously down into the foyer.

What she saw made her blood run cold.

Ethan was standing there, alone, his back to her. But something was different—his entire posture was wrong. His head was tilted back, his body tense as if he were fighting something deep inside. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and the moonlight streaming through the tall windows cast strange, unsettling shadows across his form.