Unveiled Secret

CHAPTER 8

The night draped over the Toulouse estate like a veil of unease. Vivienne tossed and turned beneath the satin sheets, her dreams taunting her with fragments of a past she could not escape.

She found herself in a dimly lit room, the air thick with the scent of smoke and despair. Shadows danced across the walls, casting eerie shapes that seemed to mock her. In the centre of the room, two figures lay motionless on the floor, their eyes wide open, glazed over in a permanent state of shock.

"Maman? Papa?" Vivienne's voice trembled as she knelt beside them, her hands shaking as she reached out to touch their faces.

But they were cold, their warmth extinguished, stolen by the cruel hand of fate. She recoiled, her heart pounding in her chest like a caged bird desperate for freedom.

"This is your doing, Isabelle," a voice hissed from the shadows. "You brought this upon them."

Vivienne whirled around, her eyes searching for the source of the accusation. A figure emerged from the darkness, its features obscured, but its presence exuding a sense of malice that chilled her to the bone.

"No, I..." She stammered, her words caught in her throat as the figure drew closer.

"You were blinded by your thirst for vengeance," it taunted. "And now, you must live with the consequences."

Vivienne's heart raced, her mind a whirlwind of confusion and guilt. She wanted to scream, to deny the accusations, but the weight of the truth held her tongue captive.

Suddenly, the scene shifted, and she found herself in a grand ballroom, the chandeliers casting a warm glow over the dancers below. She recognized Henri among them, his movements graceful, his eyes alight with joy.

But as she reached out to him, his expression twisted into one of hatred and betrayal. "How could you, Isabelle?" he spat, his words dripping with venom. "I loved you, and you tried to kill me."

Vivienne stumbled backward, her breath catching in her throat. "No, Henri, please... I..."

But he was gone, vanished into the swirling crowd, leaving her alone and adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

She awoke with a start, her body drenched in a cold sweat, her heart pounding against her ribcage like a prisoner desperate for escape. The moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting eerie shadows across the room, and for a moment, she feared the nightmare had followed her into the waking world.

Vivienne sat on her bed , wrapping her arms around her knees, striving to anchor herself in the reality of her surroundings. The moonlight seemed to mock her, illuminating the edges of the room with chilling clarity.

The night air caressed her face, offering a fleeting moment of solace, but it could not chase away the demons that haunted her mind. She clutched the locket that hung around her neck, the only tangible link to a past she could not fully remember.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside her room, a soft knock at the door startled her from her reverie. "Vivienne?" Henri's voice carried through the wood, laced with concern. "Are you well?"

Vivienne hesitated, her fingers tightening around the locket as she wrestled with the warring emotions that threatened to consume her.

"Just a moment," she called back, her voice trembling. Throwing on a robe, she took a steadying breath. "Come on in," The door creaked open, and Henri stepped inside, his presence filling the room with an unsettling warmth. He surveyed her, concerned etching deep lines across his brow.

Henri stood there, his expression etched with worry and exhaustion. The soft light from the hallway illuminated his features—those once boyish eyes now clouded by unspoken anxieties.