The Light in My Darkness ||Ominis Gaunt X OC||

Chapter 16

As Charlotte prepared to step into the flickering green flames, her thoughts lingered on Ominis's nightmare. She could still vividly recall how the terror in his face had ensnared her heart like a vise, his ragged breathing and the tremors that shook his frame as he woke, gasping for air. His panic had left her feeling powerless, wishing she could understand the depths of his pain, yet too afraid to ask. She didn’t know what haunted him so violently, but she could feel the weight of it in the silence that followed, the way he curled in on himself as though trying to escape some unseen horror.

There was a tightness in her chest as she remembered that morning. Ominis had drifted in and out of sleep, never fully resting. His brow furrowed, lips drawn tight in pain even while unconscious.

She’d stayed by his side, her fingers tracing gentle patterns on his hand, trying to soothe the troubled lines etched into his brow. But no amount of soft touches could seem to chase away the grimace that tugged at his lips or the shadows behind his closed eyelids. His suffering was palpable, and she wished she could chase away the shadows that loomed over him. Each passing hour with no relief deepened her concern, her desire to lift his burden growing, though she still couldn’t comprehend.

Then the letter came, and everything shifted.

His grip on the parchment tightened as he had read his fathers summons, and the tension radiated off him like a storm about to break. She had watched in silence, her heart pounding, as his expression darkened. The weight of the situation bore down on her, the cold dread creeping into her veins. The Gaunt name alone carried so much history, and she knew the gravity of this letter by Ominis’s reaction alone. He hadn’t said much, but the flicker of fear in his usually calm demeanor terrified her. What awaited them at that house? What cruel demands would the head of the Gaunt family place upon them?

She hadn’t asked. How could she, when every mention of his family sent Ominis into a spiral of tension and anxiety? The fear gnawed at her, silent but suffocating, as they prepared to step into the serpent's lair.

As the pair emerged from the enchanted flames, cold marble met her feet, and a shiver ran up her spine. The oppressive atmosphere clung to her, thick and heavy. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the vast hall, a hollow reminder of the intimidating space they had entered. The air inside Gaunt Manor felt oppressive. Thick with the scent of musty stone, incense, and something darker, like decay that lingered just beyond her senses.

She could feel Ominis tense beside her. His breathing, once steady, had turned shallow and erratic, betraying the rising panic she knew was simmering beneath his composed exterior. His fingers twitched, clenching and unclenching around the handle of his wand.

She clung to Ominis’s hand, squeezing it tightly, hoping he could feel the support she offered. But his reaction only worsened her fear. He was tense, his breathing shallow, panic just beneath the surface. His father’s expectations hung over them both like a noose, tightening with each passing moment.

As Lord Gaunt’s figure emerged from the shadows, Charlotte’s dread solidified. His gaze, cold and calculating, swept over them both with indifference. He was a man of power, wielding it cruelly and without empathy.

"You took long enough.” The icy authority in his voice left no room for doubt. Gone was the man who put on a facade for her family. This was a man who controlled his family through fear and dominance, and Charlotte felt the weight of his expectations settling heavily on her shoulders.

Charlotte’s stomach knotted as she met his gaze. His eyes, devoid of warmth, flicked over her with dismissive cruelty before settling on his son. There was no love there, no kindness. Just a cold, calculated need for control. For power.