Chapter 125

• Giovanni's Perspective
• The night enveloped the room in darkness akin to ink, with moonlight seeping through the chilly chamber via the weathered stone windows. It cast a pallid glow upon Fern's face, her expression wrought with pain and helplessness. My punishment of her had just concluded, leaving her still bearing the marks I had inflicted. Fern lay still, her eyes closed, her frail figure almost blending into the shadows that enveloped the room.
• I reclined nearby, observing Fern with a mixture of emotions swirling within me. Memories from her childhood flooded my mind, memories of a time when she had looked up to me as her older brother. She had been entirely reliant on me then, trusting me implicitly. As I surveyed the scene, a pang of pity and guilt washed over me. Despite my best efforts to bury them, these emotions gnawed at the edges of my conscience, refusing to be silenced.