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He grinned. “Anger is better spent on more ambitious ventures, don’t you think? You’re nothing. Just a girl with the right blood flowing through her body. A pretty face. I don’t need revenge. If my brother let you best him, then I say he deserved it.”
He took one step closer. And then another. DuPont guards came into view, both of them clutching guns as Lord Nathan approached, prepared to shoot me if I tried anything. “Why are you doing this to me if you don’t want me?” I asked through clenched teeth.
He nonchalantly continued, as if we weren’t discussing the most horrifying experience of my life. “I have always been envious of my brother. He was blessed with the lion’s share of my parents’ love and attention, while I was left in the shadows. Yet here I am, in possession of something he could never have. How amazingly delicious!”
I felt my knuckles tighten around the box, and my eyes flooded with rage. “I will end your life. Just like I ended his.”
He took a single step forward, taunting me with his audacity. Our faces were so close I could hear the slow rasp of his breath over the pounding of my heart, and I knew that one swift move would be enough to break him down once and for all. His death was imminent.
“You won’t kill me, Christine,” he said with a smile. “You’ll want to keep DuPont’s baby safe. You’ll be my wife.” He bent down to pick up the ring box. “You’ll wear this ring every day, reminding you of our union.”
I could feel my pulse racing. Anger was boiling inside me, and I had to remind myself what was at stake.
My baby.
I had to keep my head in the game. It was the only way I’d survive. “You’re definitely braver than your brother was,” I said.
As expected, he grinned. I knew Lord Nathan’s weak spot. He was like every other pathetic lord in this kingdom. He wanted to prove himself.
“Oh?”
I gave him a grin full of malice. “He screamed when I killed him. Was so terrified. I wonder, will you beg for mercy when I kill you, Lord Nathan?”
“I never beg, darling. You’ll learn that soon enough. Get ready. The ceremony starts in an hour.”
A small noise escaped me. A crack in my numbness. I felt the fight return. “I’ll kill you, you motherfucker.”
“My. The more you talk, the more I look forward to fucking you.”
I gritted my teeth, clenching them until my jaw ached. “You’re a psycho.”
“I’m a survivor, that’s all.” He took one last step forward, and the guards raised their weapons. “And, it’s time for you to take your place as my wife. Do something with your face. I expect my bride to be flawless.” He turned and headed for the door.
I flexed with rage, every muscle in my body tense. Nathan’s cologne was heavy and cloying. I wanted to lean back and gag. The smell lingered long after I heard his footsteps travel down the hall. Someone shut the door, locking me in with his suffocating stench and the remnants of his threats.
I let out a weak breath, feeling alive for the first time since returning to this castle. A fight grew within me. I didn’t want Lord Nathan to win. I didn’t want Theodore DuPont to steal my baby. I had to fight.
I turned to look at the mirror once more, steadying my breathing as I tried to come up with a solution. I could still fight. I had to be careful but—
“Is it true?” a soft voice full of agony asked.
I spun around and gaped at Elizabeth DuPont as she slipped into the room. She wore all black, her eyes rimmed red as she stared hopelessly at me.
“Elizabeth,” I croaked.
She took another step toward me. “Is. It. True? Is my Atticus…” Her expression crumpled.
I opened and closed my mouth, not sure what to say to this woman or whose side she was on. “Atticus is…” I didn’t want to say the word.
“Tell me, Christine. I have to know. We don’t have much time. Just…is he dead?”
I swallowed the thick ball of emotion and slowly nodded my head. There was no way Atticus survived that gunshot to the chest. I had to accept it. I had to say goodbye.
Tears fell down her face, and she looked away.
“Oh, God,” she groaned, gripping her temple. “I have a headache,” she muttered. “I need to go lie down, but I can’t.” She shook her head and looked back at me. “I keep thinking it’s all a bad dream. I’m just going to wake up and be with him, but it’s not going to happen. He’s dead. Atticus is dead.” She leaned against the wall, sliding to the ground in a heap.
I rushed to the other side of the room and knelt beside her, patting her back awkwardly, and she silently sobbed into my shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling the sting of hot tears on my cheeks.
