The Blackwood Curse

Chapter 26

Sarah POV

The morning sun filtered through the heavy curtains of my room, casting long beams of light across the ornate rug beneath my feet. The mansion was quieter than usual, its oppressive silence making every sound seem sharper, every movement more noticeable. But that didn’t matter to me—not today. I had a plan.

I’d spent the entire night turning over the fragments of information I’d gathered. My mind was a whirlwind of questions and suspicions, each more disturbing than the last. My parents. The Blackwoods. The women in the chamber. And Axel—his strange behavior, his veiled warnings. Everything was connected, and I needed answers.

But the Blackwoods’ world was an impenetrable fortress, their secrets buried beneath layers of lies and manipulation. If I wanted the truth, I would have to go beyond these walls. I would need someone I could trust. Someone who knew how to uncover what others wanted to keep hidden.

Zeke.

Zeke had been my best friend for years, long before my life had become entangled with the Blackwoods. He was a genius with computers, a self-taught hacker who thrived in the shadows of cyberspace. More than that, he was the one person in the world I trusted completely. He didn’t just know my past; he’d been a part of it. When my parents died, Zeke had been there to pick up the pieces. He knew the version of me that I had buried when I married Eren and stepped into this twisted life.

I couldn’t keep him in the dark anymore. Not when the weight of these secrets was suffocating me.

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I dressed carefully, choosing simple clothes that wouldn’t draw attention: dark jeans, a plain black sweater, and a long coat to shield me from the crisp autumn air. Pulling my hair into a loose ponytail, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My pale face, shadowed eyes, and thin lips set in a grim line were a far cry from the woman I used to be.

With a deep breath, I slipped out of my room and moved through the mansion with practiced stealth. The walls seemed to whisper as I passed, taunting me with the invisible threads that held this place together. Each room I avoided felt like it might contain something sinister, hidden just out of sight. I kept my movements deliberate, discreet. To anyone watching, I was just another quiet shadow in the labyrinth of the Blackwood estate, not a woman on the verge of rebellion.

I wasn’t even sure if this was rebellion. All I knew was that I had to act.

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The café Zeke had chosen was a sharp contrast to the Blackwood world—small, rustic, and utterly ordinary. As I stepped inside, the scent of fresh coffee and the low hum of conversation wrapped around me like a protective cloak. For the first time in weeks, I felt a flicker of something I hadn’t dared entertain: hope.

Zeke sat in the corner booth, just as he’d said he would, his laptop open and a cup of coffee forgotten beside him. His appearance hadn’t changed in the years since college—his unruly hair still looked like it fought back against any attempts at taming, and his hoodie was one I distinctly remembered teasing him about. But his face, usually so quick to light up with mischief, was serious as he looked up and saw me.

“Sarah.”

My name wasn’t just a greeting; it was a question, a statement, and a warning all wrapped into one.

I slid into the booth across from him, my coat brushing against the cracked leather seat. For a moment, we just looked at each other, the weight of everything unsaid settling between us.

“You look terrible,” he finally said, his voice low. “What’s going on?”

I tried to smile, but it felt brittle. “Thanks, Zeke. Really boosting my confidence here.”