Under a Dimmed Sun [UNCENSORED]

Epilogue: Chapter LXXIX: Changes [18+]

The morning light filtered weakly through the thick curtains of Cateline's estate, casting long, pale shadows across the wooden floors. The house was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of Cateline's laughter and the clink of wine glasses absent. The air felt heavy, almost stagnant, as if the very walls knew something was amiss.

Alice moved about the kitchen, her mind preoccupied with the usual morning tasks, though a faint sense of unease lingered in her chest. Isabel sat at the table, toying with a half-empty cup of tea, her eyes distant. The day servant would be arriving soon, but for now, the house was still.

"I'll check on Cateline," Alice murmured, almost to herself, as she wiped her hands on a towel. Isabel barely glanced up, lost in thought.

Alice made her way up the stairs, her steps light but deliberate. The faint smell of stale cigar still clung to the hallway outside Cateline's room, a lingering reminder of the night before. She reached Cateline's door, pausing for a moment before knocking softly.

"Cateline?" she called, her voice low. There was no answer. Alice's unease deepened, and she knocked again, a little louder this time. "Cateline, are you awake?"

Still nothing.

With a furrowed brow, Alice gently pushed open the door. The room was dim, the curtains still drawn, but the faintest light seeped in, casting a muted glow across the space. The bed was undisturbed, its covers untouched from the night before. Alice's gaze flicked across the room, her breath catching in her throat as she noticed the open door to the adjoining tub room.

Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones.

"Cateline?" Alice's voice wavered slightly as she stepped into the room, her heart pounding in her chest. She approached the door, the sound of nothing catching her attention.

The sight that greeted her when she entered the tub room made her freeze. Cateline was there, lying in the large, claw-footed tub, her body submerged in the now-cold water. Her pale face was turned upwards, her eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling. The stillness of her body, the unnatural paleness of her skin—it was unmistakable. She was gone.

Alice felt a scream rising in her throat but swallowed it down, her mind struggling to process the scene in front of her. The soft drip of water echoed in the small space, the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

"Cateline..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, as if saying her name might somehow undo the horror in front of her.

With trembling hands, Alice reached for Cateline's arm, hoping for some sign of warmth, some flicker of life, but the coldness of her skin sent a shiver down her spine. Cateline's lifeless body lay still, her once-vibrant eyes staring into nothing.

Alice backed away slowly, her heart hammering in her chest. She turned and rushed out of the room, her legs weak beneath her. She nearly stumbled as she descended the stairs, her mind a blur of panic and disbelief.

"Isabel!" Alice's voice cracked as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Isabel!"

Isabel looked up, alarmed by the frantic tone in her mother's voice. She stood quickly, her eyes wide with confusion.

"What's wrong?" Isabel asked, her heart pounding as she saw the pale, stricken look on Alice's face.

"It's Cateline... she's..." Alice struggled to find the words, her breath coming in shallow gasps. "She's dead."

The room seemed to tilt for a moment, Isabel's head spinning as the words sank in. Without thinking, she pushed past her mother, racing up the stairs toward Cateline's room. The door was still open, Isabel entered, her feet dragging as if the very air in the house had thickened.