IVY'S POV
"Not long," I answered.
Not the truth. Not a lie.
His eyes lingered on me a moment too long, searching not for guilt but for something deeper I couldn't name. Then he exhaled slowly.
"You should be resting," he said. "Or have you decided to involve yourself in things far beyond you?"
"N… no, Father," I whispered.
"Now get out."
He didn't raise his voice often, but when he did, it struck like a whip. I turned and ran, my heart slamming against my ribs as I fled back into the mansion. My thoughts refused to settle.
Who were they talking about?
It didn't make sense. Could it be my mother? No. That didn't fit. The entire clan already knew the story, how she ran away with a human. I forced the thought down, pushing my legs to keep moving.
Layla's room was still empty when I slipped inside. I moved quickly, taking a small sample of the pills and concealing them in my palm before anyone could see.
Back in my own room, I examined them under the light. Texture. Scent. The way they dissolved in a drop of water.
Exactly what the label claimed.
Strong medication for a rare blood disorder.
No poison. No hidden toxins.
Just medicine.
So… she's really sick.
The realization settled heavily in my chest. Layla wasn't driven by spite alone. She was terrified. Unraveling. Watching her body betray her while Seraphina stepped into the life she had once owned so effortlessly.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway.
I froze, then moved without thinking, darting back into Layla's room and slipping inside her wardrobe. I pulled the door almost shut, leaving only a thin crack.
The space was cramped and suffocating, thick with the scent of expensive perfume and something sour beneath it. Fear.
I held my breath as the door opened.
Layla walked in, phone pressed to her ear.
"Yeah, Patrick… I know I said evening, but I can't tonight," she whispered. Her voice was softer than I had ever heard it. "Father's watching everything. And Seraphina is always around now."
She paused, listening, then sighed.
"I miss you too. God, I hate this. One normal human boyfriend and suddenly the whole world is ending… No, don't come here. It's too risky. Just wait for me, okay? I'll sneak out as soon as I can."
She laughed quietly, light and almost girlish. The sound felt so wrong coming from her that I nearly shifted in shock.
The hanger behind me clinked softly.
Layla froze.
"Hello? Wait… I think I heard something."
Her footsteps drew closer. My heart pounded so violently I was certain she could hear it. I pressed myself against the back wall, trying to disappear into the hanging clothes. Fabric brushed against my face, soft and suffocating.
"Probably nothing," she muttered after a moment. "This house is full of ghosts anyway. Yeah… I'll call you later. Love you."
The call ended. She dropped onto the bed with a groan.
I stayed there in silence. Minutes stretched into something unbearable. My legs cramped. My back throbbed where the flogging had torn into my skin. Every small shift threatened to betray me.
At one point, she paced the room, muttering angrily about "that useless half-breed ruining everything," before collapsing back onto the bed again.
I thought I might actually die in that wardrobe before she finally left.
When the door closed behind her, I didn't move. Not immediately. I counted the silence, waiting for any sign she might return.
Only then did I slip out.
My muscles screamed as I straightened.
"I think that's enough for one day," I muttered hoarsely.
I made it back to my room and collapsed onto the bed, exhaustion dragging at me.
No poison in the house.
I must have imagined it. The shocks. The beating. The two days lost to darkness. My mind was clearly breaking.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to believe it was over.
Then it hit again.
Sharp. Violent. Tearing through my skull.
A vision slammed into me. The silver cup, clearer this time. Filled with dark liquid. Crushed pills mixed into it, the same ones from Layla's drawer.
Seraphina's hand reaching.
A soft laugh.
The cup tilting.
I screamed.
The sound tore out of me before I could stop it. I tried to stand, but my legs gave out completely. My body collapsed, hitting the floor hard. Pain flared through bruised flesh, but it was nothing compared to the agony splitting my head open from the inside.
I curled on the cold ground, clutching my skull as if I could hold it together.
"What… what is happening to me?"
The words came out broken, barely sound at all.
The vision faded, leaving only the echo of Seraphina's smile and the faint clink of the cup.
I stayed there, shaking, breath uneven, tears burning behind my eyes.
The door opened.
Father stepped inside without knocking.
It closed behind him with a quiet, deliberate click. Then the lock turned. Slowly. Final.
My stomach dropped.
He leaned against the door, arms folded, his gaze fixed on me like I was something beneath him. Something he intended to break.
"What were you doing in the garden, Ivy?" His voice was low, almost soft, but it carried no warmth. "And don't insult me with lies. Tell me exactly how much you heard."
My head still throbbed, but the pain felt distant now, dulled by something colder.
"I… I didn't hear anything important," I said. My voice came out smaller than I intended.
He laughed. A short, cold sound.
Then he stepped closer.
The air in the room tightened as he approached, his presence pressing in on me, suffocating.
"You think I'm a fool?" he murmured. "You were listening. You always listen when you shouldn't."
Another step. Closer.
"How long were you there?" His voice dropped further, turning dangerous.
His hand shot out, gripping my chin hard and forcing my head up. Pain shot through my jaw as his fingers dug in.
"You are already a disgrace," he said, his voice cutting deeper with each word. "The video. The humiliation. Every breath you take stains this bloodline."
His grip tightened.
"If I find out you are hiding something… if you interfere in matters that threaten my authority…" His eyes darkened. "I will make the full moon punishment feel like mercy."
My body should have trembled. I should have been afraid.
But I wasn't.
Something inside me had gone still. Detached.
"I will strip you myself," he continued, his voice turning colder, sharper, "in front of the entire clan.
And I will let them decide what to do with the half-breed who keeps dragging us down."
The words should have broken me.
Instead, something else rose.
Hot. Sudden. Violent.
I didn't remember deciding to move.
My hands were already there.
My fingers locked around his throat. Tight. Unyielding. My nails pressed into his skin as i tightened my hand a little more making it impossible for him to breathe.
A feral scream tore out of me.
"Just die already, old man!"