Chapter 6

My strength finally left me. I lowered my head and pushed myself off the ground.

“Fine.” I looked at Vesper. “I’ll do it.”

Vesper's smile immediately returned.

“Thank you, Raven! I knew you’d understand.”

I stared at her fake smile.

“Don’t thank me. I’m doing it for Riley.”

Vesper's smile faltered for half a second before she turned toward the garden.

...

The entire area had been prepared for the celebration. Lights hung from the trees, decorations covered the tables, and a large electrical display had been arranged in the shape of a heart.

It was almost cruel.

My daughter had been dead for seven days, and I was standing in the middle of a birthday celebration for a tortoise.

I walked toward the control panel, intending to finish whatever Silas had ordered me to do so I could leave.

Then I stopped.

Something was wrong.

The wiring didn't look right.

The main power cable had been connected incorrectly, and there was another wire hidden underneath the panel.

I crouched down and examined it more closely.

“What is this?”

Before I could touch it, Vesper’s tortoise suddenly crawled toward my feet. I instinctively moved back, and my hand struck the control switch.

The lights flashed.

For one second, everything went completely silent.

Then the entire setup exploded.

“Ah!”

The blast threw me backward. My ears rang as smoke filled my lungs, and pain tore through my body. I tried to stand, but my legs refused to move.

Someone was screaming.

Then I heard footsteps running toward me.

“Raven!”

Silas.

For the first time, his voice sounded terrified.

He rushed through the smoke and grabbed me, pulling me into his arms.

“Raven! Look at me!”

I could barely keep my eyes open. He held me tightly, his hands shaking as he looked over my injuries.

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t know this would happen.”

I stared at him through the smoke.

For one second, I wanted to laugh. Instead, tears slipped down my face. I weakly pushed against his chest.

“Don’t...”

He tightened his arms around me. “Raven, please.”

I closed my eyes. If I could go back five years, I would make one different choice.

I wouldn't save him.

I wouldn't marry him.

I wouldn't fall in love with him.

And most of all, I would never let Silas Thorne become the man who destroyed everything I had.

“Silas...” My voice was barely a whisper as I looked at him one last time. “If I could choose again, I’d rather I had never met you.”

…

When I opened my eyes, everything looked black and white. I blinked several times, hoping my vision was simply blurred from the explosion, but nothing changed.

“What...?”

I hurriedly tried to sit up, but Silas immediately got off the sofa and rushed toward me. “Raven, don’t move.”

He held my shoulders and helped me sit back against the pillows. “Your eyes were injured in the explosion. The doctors said your optic nerves were damaged. You can still see, but you can’t see colors anymore.”

I froze as I looked around the room. The curtains were gray, the walls were gray, and even Silas’s black suit seemed almost the same shade as everything else.

“What?”

I raised my trembling hands to my face and blinked repeatedly, but there was still no color anywhere. Tears filled my eyes as I realized what had happened. These were the same eyes that had once allowed me to identify tiny differences in toxins and recognize the smallest details during medical procedures. Now I couldn't even tell red from blue.

Silas pulled me into his arms. “Raven, don’t cry. We’ll find a way to treat your eyes. I’ll bring in the best specialists in Europe if I have to.”

I remained silent.

He held me tighter before adding, “I’ve also arranged everything for Riley and your father’s burial. Their ashes have been buried properly, so you don’t have to worry anymore.”

The hatred inside me came rushing back the moment I heard their names. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to ask him why he had done this to us, but I couldn't get a single word out.

Silas probably thought I was too devastated to speak.

He had no idea.

I wasn't crying because I was helpless.

I was crying because I hated him.

...

I stayed in the hospital for another week before the doctors finally allowed me to leave. The first thing I did after being discharged was go to the cemetery. I needed to see Riley. I needed to see Dad.

I took a taxi there, and a light rain started falling as soon as I stepped out. I walked slowly through the cemetery, ignoring the pain that still lingered in my body until I suddenly stopped.

Several men were digging in front of the graves.

For a moment, I couldn't understand what I was seeing. Then I noticed the broken urn lying on the ground.

My heart stopped.

“No...”

I rushed forward. “What are you doing?”

The men were digging up Riley’s grave and my father’s grave. My father’s urn had already been broken, and pieces of it were scattered across the wet ground.

I dropped to my knees and gathered what remained. “What right do you have to do this?!”

One of the men looked at me impatiently. “Miss Pierce chose these two spots.”

I stared at him. “Miss Pierce?”

“Yes. Don Silas ordered us to clear the graves because Miss Pierce wants to bury her tortoise here.”

My whole body went cold.

Silas.

Even after Riley and Dad were dead, he still wouldn't leave them alone.

“Why?” My voice shook as I looked at the men. “Why won’t you just leave them alone?”

The man ignored me and raised his shovel.

I immediately threw myself over the urn.

“Don’t!”

The shovel came down and struck my back. Pain exploded through my body, and I collapsed over the broken urn as blood began soaking through my clothes. I barely noticed the pain. All I could think about was protecting what remained of my daughter.

“Don’t touch them!” I cried as I held Riley’s ashes against my chest. “They’re already dead!”

The man raised the shovel again, but a cold voice suddenly came from behind us.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Everyone stopped.

I slowly turned my head and saw Silas standing there. His eyes immediately fell on me, covered in blood and clutching the broken urn. For a brief moment, something resembling pity crossed his face.

“Silas...” My voice broke. “They’re already dead.”

I tightened my arms around the urn. “Why won’t you let them go?”

He opened his mouth, but before he could answer, Vesper hurried over and took his hand.

“Silas...” Her voice trembled as she looked at the broken urn. “It’s my fault.”

She looked at me with tears gathering in her eyes. “My tortoise died during yesterday, and Silas told me I could choose a place to bury it. I thought these were abandoned graves. I honestly didn't know they belonged to Riley and your father.”

Vesper stepped closer and extended her hand toward me. “Raven, I'm really sorry. I never wanted this to happen. Please don’t blame Silas. This was my mistake.”

I stared at her hand before looking at Silas.

He was still holding hers.

I slowly pushed myself to my feet despite the pain.

“Don’t touch me!”