Chapter 4 - The Confession
The aftermath of the breach left the manor operating like a fortress at war.
Armed guards patrolled the hallways, and the beautiful bronze gates were reinforced with steel.
Silas spent three days locked in his study, coordinating retaliations against the rival family who dared to attack his home.
When he finally emerged, he looked exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes contrasting sharply with his pale skin.
I found him sitting alone in the dim kitchen at three in the morning, nursing a glass of amber whiskey.
I hesitated in the doorway, clutching my silk robe tightly around my waist.
"You should be sleeping," Silas said without looking up, taking a slow sip from his glass.
"I can't," I admitted, stepping fully into the room.
"Every time I close my eyes, I hear the gunshots."
Silas set his glass down and finally turned to look at me.
"They won't get within a mile of this house ever again," he promised, his voice rough with fatigue.
I walked over to the marble island and sat on a stool across from him.
"You risked your life for us," I said softly, searching his face for any hint of deception.
"You could have handed us over to them and saved yourself a war."
Silas laughed, a dark, bitter sound that held no humor.
"I don't hand over what is mine," he stated, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that stole my breath.
I flushed, the implications of his words wrapping around my heart like a warm, heavy blanket.
"I am just a debt," I reminded him, trying to protect my own fragile emotions.
Silas leaned across the marble counter, closing the distance between us until I could feel his breath on my cheek.
"You stopped being a debt the moment your daughter called me lonely," he whispered.
He reached up, his large, rough hand gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
His touch was so gentle, a stark contrast to the violence he had unleashed just days before.
"Marcus broke you," Silas murmured, tracing the line of my jaw just as Lily had traced his scar.
"He threw you to the wolves, hoping they would tear you apart."
I closed my eyes, a single tear slipping down my cheek as the reality of my husband's betrayal hit me all over again.
"But he was stupid," Silas continued, his thumb catching my tear before it could fall.
"He didn't realize that the wolf would decide to keep you."
I opened my eyes, staring into the dark depths of a man who ruled with fear.
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For the first time in my life, I didn't want to run away from the danger.
I wanted to lean into it.
