Rebirth of a scorned Empress

a

something deeper, something raw and soul-crushing. Olivia felt it as she d

me the

nct at first, growing cl

ing too mu

get the

e is fadi

fight against the fading light. But the weight of betrayal, o

s is ho

ugh echoed

r dignity. They had toyed with her life, crushed her spirit, and when th

d through t

is be the end. I w

ire in her soul refusing to be extinguished. If the

a secon

around her

erse itself had heard her plea. The darkness sha

woke

-

for air. Her fingers clutched the silk sheets beneath

ili

fami

mirror reflecting her disheveled state. The velvet drapes swayin

bedr

m from fou

ed violently ag

ossible. This

its slow descent. A gentle breeze rustled the sheer curtains, making them billow like ghostl

e. Her skin was smooth, untouched by time, her eyes still bright

innocence

s not the same woman s

a storm waiting

at her, vivid and merciless. The cold betrayal of Nathan and Sophia, the destruction of her family, the pain of

sitting in her roo

n given a s

t

ate? Was it punishment? Or was it si

n her lap. No, it didn't matter why

ould not

le. A delib

think. She

ly spun web. She would not be fooled by his warm smiles, hi

ph

er laugh esca

n's side, the way her eyes had glowed with secret triumph whenever Olivia

ils dug int

m

they wouldn

uld be the one pu

door broke thro

s Ol

a

his house who had ne

, schooling her expressi

of her. She had always been a quiet presence, never overstepping, a

t

been one of the few people in

soon," Mary said softly, lowering

pread through

th

aring her life apart behind her back. The man who had orchest

once loved wit

hed against the f

eady to face

betrayal was still a fres

had no

the naive, loving fiancee. And f

d, smoothing down the front of her

ted. "Miss

r, catching the unc

es

fortably. "You just...

caught for a fra

already

ticed smile, the kind she had wor

nt before nodding. "Yes. Bu

chest t

he had always

ghtly touching Mary

tretch into something too heavy, sh

like walking tow

she was the one

-

flames casting dancing shadows across the long mahogany table. Servan

the room, standing nea

th

, Olivia's b

tly styled, his features sharp and aristocratic. His suit was perfectly tailored,

his lips curled into that sam

ivi

ff his tongue lik

t enough to drag her back into the past, when she had been h

, and she saw him fo

r wrappe

mall, polite s

ngering just a little too l

me man who would one day strip her of everything?

ly, playing the part she knew

ng closer, his hand

every fiber of her being s

alm against hers us

was suff

tonight?" he asked, h

king you that,

nown what was coming for him,

flutter just slightly-just enough to make him think sh

y. "Don't be. Soon, we'll be husband

it, her heart was a battle

Na

ave n