~Lucian’s POV

The silence of the chamber pressed down on me like a heavy weight. My mind, clouded with anger and alcohol, refused to let go of Bella. It had been days since she left, and I hadn’t seen her, heard from her, or even felt her presence. The emptiness in her absence gnawed at me, a constant reminder of what I had lost.

In this state, my patience for lies and betrayal was thinner than ever. My heartache had turned into fury, and there was only one person I could vent it on: Kate, Bella’s so-called best friend.

Kate had been Bella’s maid, someone she trusted implicitly. But that...