Chapter 39 Shattered Trust

• Ariella stood frozen, her mind struggling to process Selene’s words. The fire crackled behind her, its warmth a cruel contrast to the icy chill creeping through her veins. Selene’s confession hung in the air like a fog, suffocating every ounce of trust she had ever placed in her closest friend.
• For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Ariella’s heart pounded in her chest, and the words she longed to say stuck in her throat. How could Selene, the one who had fought beside her, who had shared in her triumphs and failures, now stand on the opposite side? How could the woman she had considered a sister betray her and the entire kingdom?
• "Why didn’t you tell me?" Ariella finally managed, her voice trembling with hurt and anger. "Why didn’t you trust me enough to come to me? Why didn’t you let me help you see another way?"