Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Silence Of His Vows: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

The dream came in fragments, the way nightmares always do.Mother's face filled my vision, younger than I remembered her, softer around the edges where grief hadn't yet carved its marks. She was smiling at me the way she used to before everything fell apart. We were in the garden behind the estate, spring sunlight filtering through the trees, flowers blooming in wild bursts of color everywhere I looked.Her hand was warm when she took mine, her fingers gentle as they threaded through my smaller ones."Mia stellina," she whispered, her voice like honey and home. My little star.Then the garden shifted without warning, the way dreams do when they turn dark. The flowers withered and died in seconds, their petals turning brown and falling to the ground like ash. The warm spring air became winter cold, biting and sharp. The ground beneath our feet froze solid, cracking with sounds like breaking bones.Mother's hand went cold in mine.I looked up at her and found her eyes empty, hollow and d

He jerked me forward, away from where I'd fallen, and started dragging me through the snow. His grip on my arm was iron, painful, completely unforgiving. I stumbled trying to keep up with his long strides but he didn't slow down, didn't adjust his pace, just hauled me along behind him like cargo that needed moving.We moved through the forest and he never hesitated once, never paused to check direction, moving with absolute certainty through the darkness. Five minutes later we broke through the tree line into the clearing.The cabin sat there looking small and isolated, the door hanging open, orange light from the dying fire visible through the doorway like a beacon.I'd been so close the whole time. All that running in circles and the cabin had been right there.He pulled me up the porch steps with no gentleness at all and shoved me through the door ahead of him. The warmth inside hit like a wall after the freezing cold outside. He slammed the door behind us hard enough to rattle the

Just for a second. Just to look back one more time.The fire had burned out completely, leaving nothing but cold ash. The couch where I'd slept. The table where we'd eaten in silence. The window where I'd watched storms and counted days and tried to remember who I was supposed to be.It was just a cabin. Wood and stone and basic furniture. Nothing special. Nothing remarkable.But it had been mine.For three weeks, it had been the only space in my entire life that belonged to me and no one else.And now I was leaving it behind."Luna." Volkov's voice was sharp. "We're on a timeline."I stepped out onto the porch. The cold bit through my jacket immediately but I didn't move, just stood there looking at the clearing and the trees beyond, at the path that led into the woods where I'd gotten lost and been found.Volkov locked the cabin door behind us and pocketed the key. He picked up both bags and started walking toward the tree line where the path led out to where the helicopter would lan

I couldn't have that thing touching me. It was a trophy from her murder. It was evidence he'd cleaned and polished and turned into a gift. It was her death turned into my wedding decoration.I jerked backward violently, my hands coming up to shove the box away from me with force I didn't know I had.The movement was wild. Uncontrolled.The box flew from Father's hands.It hit the floor with a sharp clatter. The comb tumbled out, skidding across the hardwood. A single pearl dislodged and rolled away, making soft clicking sounds as it spun in a lazy circle before disappearing under the dresser.Silence crashed down.Father stood frozen with his hand still raised in the air where the box had been, his face a mask of shock and hurt that looked devastatingly real."Luna?" he whispered, his voice cracking on my name.I backed away until my spine hit the wall, shaking my head frantically as tears poured down my face. I pointed at the comb on the floor with a trembling hand, then at the trash

The morning began with hands that weren't mine pulling me from sleep.I opened my eyes to find three women already in my room, moving with efficient silence. One carried a garment bag. One held a case of cosmetics that looked more like surgical instruments. The third was setting up lights around my vanity.Volkov stood by the door in a tuxedo instead of his usual black suit. The formal wear didn't soften him. If anything, it made him look more dangerous, like a weapon that had been polished for ceremony."Up," he ordered. "They have two hours."Two hours to turn me into a bride.I sat up slowly, my body aching from a night of no sleep. The rehearsal dinner last night had been endless—four hours of sitting beside an empty chair meant for Moretti while Father entertained three hundred guests and toasted to my future happiness. Volkov had stood behind me the entire time, silent and watchful, while I smiled until my face felt like it would crack.Now it was the day. The actual day.The wom