"My sister treated you like family. Didn’t she?"
The mention of Seraphine twisted something in my chest.
"She was the best friend I ever had," I whispered.
He knelt and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.
"And this is how you repay her? By letting the man who killed her walk free?"
I was speechless.
Furious, Alaric flung a photo onto the floor. It landed face up—
Seraphine, broken and bloodied, hung lifeless from a tree. Her body, once full of laughter and warmth, was now twisted with bruises and gashes.
The sight made me scream. I covered my eyes, my entire body trembling.
That image had haunted my nightmares for months.
“You can’t even look at her,” Alaric spat. “Then tell me what that bastard did to her!”
He grabbed my chin and forced me to meet his eyes.
“I swear, Elysia—testify, and I’ll send Arianne away. Right now.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I gave him a cold smile.
“No need.”
His grip froze on my shoulder.
“You’d rather watch me with her? Watch us, again and again, like some sick punishment?”
“It’s okay.”
Pa!
His palm cracked across my face.
His fist shook with fury.
“You’re disgusting, Elysia,” he growled. “You’re a goddamn bitch!”