"Amid secrets, desires, and shadows, love finds its brightest glow in the darkest hours."
she was the girl who wore moonlight, searching for herself in a world full of shadows, he was the boy with a hidden heart, drawn to her light. Together, they'l...
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The Blackwoodmansion loomed around me like a dark fairytale castle, its grandeur now twisted into something cold and suffocating. As a child, I'd wandered these halls, laughed in these rooms, never realizing the chains they would one day try to wrap around me.
Ryker stood nearby, his stance tense, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. I'd grown used to his cold indifference, his sharp tongue and reckless charm. But tonight, there was something raw in the way he held himself—anger, defiance, and something else i couldn't place.
The whispers in the room swirled like a storm around us, sharp and cutting. Ryder stood at the edge, his jaw locked, while willow's icy gaze bore into me with the weight of a thousand accusations.
Then Mangus Blackwood entered the room.
The whispers died instantly. His presence was a force of its own—commanding, suffocating. The cold click of his shoes against the marble floor echoed like a countdown to something terrible.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Willow stepped forward, her lips curling into a satisfied smirk. "Mangus," she began, her tone dripping from false concern, "the girl has brought shame upon this family. For the sake of our reputation, and the dignity of this town-"
"Dignity?" I cut her off, my voice trembling but loud enough to carry. "You talk about dignity as if your family hasn't been throwing it away every chance you get."
The room gasped, and i felt my aunt's grip tighten on my arm—a silent plea to stop. But the words burned too hot inside me to hold back.
"If anyone should talk about respect, it's certainly not someone whose family thinks the rules only apply to others," I added, my chest heaving.
Willow's face twisted with fury. She strode toward me, her nails digging into my arms as she hissed. "You ungrateful little girl. You dare to speak to me like that in my own house?"
I yanked my arm free, glancing up at her. "I speak however I want. I'm not the one turning this into a circus just to protect a name that barely deserve it."
The room went still, so quiet that I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. Willow backed away immediately, her mouth snapping shut. Mangus's sharp eyes shifted to the old man who had started this mess, pinning him in place like a predator sizing up it's prey.
"You," Mangus said, his voice low and menacing. "Do you think you know what happens in my family? Do you think your words have any weight here?"
The old man stammered, his face pale. "I-I just thought, if they're in love, then maybe-"
Mangus cut him off with a glare so sharp it could've drawn blood. "You thought?"
"My son's recklessness has embarrassed his family," Mangus said, his voice colder than ice. "But we do not turn from shame. We fix it."
