His Family's Secret, Her Vengeful Rise

Rodrigu

t was worse, a gaping wound where my love for Kenton used to be. My defiance, though, remained. As the family

ur son's sins? For your family's shame? Never." I met Clifford' s fur

her voice thin but sharp as a razor. "This family has traditions for

she said "traditions" made it sound le

s extinguished by cold resolve. "Aurora, listen to me. This can be resolved. Just admit you were mistaken. Say you exaggerated. Apologize f

he way you looked at her, the way you touched her. I heard yo

ding by the fireplace, a man I hadn't noticed before, dressed in a plain, dark unifo

cried, backing away. "Ken

hard as stone. "You brought

guard appeared, blocking my path. My heart pou

rately at Kenton. "Think about wh

e, vibrant and alluring, seemed to flash across his features. His reso

my back. Pain shot through my shoulder. The second clamped a hand over

n. "This is for your own good, Aurora. To cleanse y

tep was a descent into a nightmare. They led me to a cold, stone-walled room. Chains hung from the ceiling. A heavy wooden c

le, her eyes wide with feigned horror. She wrung her hands. "Oh, Kenton, Clifford, please! She's wounded! Don't be so harsh!"

performance. She was the architect of my pai

ze briefly softening at her distress before har

pat, my voice muffled by the guard' s hand. She flinched, then quickly hid behind

on said, his voice co

e guards stepped back, leaving me alone, vulnerable, in the center of the room. Clifford stood before me, a stern judge. Kenton s

cused of defiling the sacred institution of marriage, bringing public shame upon the B

ar coiling in my gut. "I will never repent for

sappointment. "Very well. Let the le

s, but they held firm. Again. Again. The blows rained down, each one a fresh wave of agony. I was battered, bruised, my vision blurring with tears and pain. I was no longer Aurora, the socia