Chapter 62

• Emilia’s POV
• The mansion was quiet now. The kind of silence that only comes after chaos, when everything finally settles and the dust starts to fall. I leaned against the cold marble pillar in the hallway, trying to catch my breath, not just physically but emotionally. The events of the past few days had left me raw, exposed. For the first time, I’d seen Alaric look genuinely vulnerable.
• The door to Alaric’s study was slightly open, the dim light spilling out into the dark corridor. I could hear the faint clink of glass—he was drinking, probably whiskey. I knew I should leave him alone, give him the space he clearly needed, but something pulled me towards that door. Maybe it was the part of me that couldn’t stand the thought of him hurting alone.