Chapter 2: Ashes of Power
The mansion that once echoed with cruelty now trembled with fear.
Authorities stormed every corridor. Documents were seized. Hidden accounts uncovered. Secrets spilled like poison finally brought to light.
The mistress—Veronica Hale—was dragged into the grand hall, her silk gown wrinkled, her pride shattered.
“This is a mistake!” she screamed. “I took her in! I gave her a home!”
Adrian didn’t even look at her.
“A cage is not a home.”
Lina stood nearby, wrapped in a coat far too large for her fragile frame. For the first time, no one shouted at her. No one struck her.
But freedom felt… unfamiliar.
“Why didn’t you fight back?” Adrian asked gently.
She stared at the floor. “Because ghosts don’t fight.”
His chest tightened.
“You’re not a ghost,” he said firmly. “You survived.”
Veronica’s voice turned desperate. “You can’t do this to me—I have connections—”
“You had power,” Adrian interrupted. “You used it to destroy a child.”
He turned to the officers. “Make sure every charge sticks.”
As Veronica was dragged away, her screams faded into nothing.
Lina didn’t look up.
She didn’t feel victorious.
She just felt… empty.
Adrian knelt beside her again.
“This isn’t the end,” he said softly. “It’s the beginning.”
May you like
But beginnings are the hardest part.
And Lina had forgotten how to live.
