Bound By His Curse

CHAPTER 11

SERAPHINA POV:

The blinding light faded slowly, leaving only soft, warm silence hanging in the grand hall—silence lighter and sweeter than anything I had ever heard. The heavy, ancient weight that had pressed down on my shoulders for months, for lifetimes, was gone completely. No cold magic nipped at my skin, no faint red glow lingered in the corners, no dull ache hummed in my bones or in Cassian’s. The curse was truly, finally broken.

I blinked the spots from my eyes, squeezing Cassian’s hand tight as we looked around. The great stone amulet on the altar was nothing more now than a lump of dull, grey rock, all its power drained away forever. And near the wall, huddled on the cold floor, was Arabella.

She looked nothing like the proud, beautiful, ambitious woman she had been. Her bright hair was thin and streaked with grey, her smooth skin lined and worn, her expensive dress reduced to rags. All the beauty she had cherished so much, all the charm she had used to wrap everyone around her finger, all the power she had craved more than anything… it had been stripped away, just as the magic had promised. Greed had taken everything she thought made her special, leaving only a broken, frightened woman behind.

She lifted her head slowly, her eyes dull and empty as they met mine. There was no hatred there now, no jealousy, no pride—only shame and regret.

“I… I just wanted to be enough,” she whispered, her voice rough and small, nothing like the sharp, cruel tone she’d used for years. “I wanted to be the one everyone looked at. The one everyone wanted. I thought if I had what you had… if I had his power, his money, his attention… I’d finally matter.”

I stepped toward her slowly, kneeling down beside her, even after everything she had done. She was my sister, after all. The same girl I’d grown up with, the one who’d always felt like she had to fight to be seen, even when there was more than enough room for both of us.

“You were always enough, Arabella,” I said softly, reaching out to touch her hand. She flinched at first, then leaned into the touch, crying quiet, broken tears. “You just wanted the wrong things. Power and money don’t make you matter. Being kind, being loved, being true to yourself… that’s what matters.”

Cassian knelt beside me, his face gentle, no anger left in him either. “You were right about one thing,” he said quietly. “The Valemont curse always fed on greed. You wanted the power for yourself, so it took everything you had instead. But it’s gone now. No one will ever have to suffer from it again.”

Voices echoed from the corridor, growing louder as the crowd we’d left outside came rushing in—reporters, police, officials, all of them shouting and confused. When they saw us, saw Arabella huddled on the floor, saw the dead amulet on the altar, everything clicked into place. They realized then that every word Arabella had told them was a lie. They realized Cassian was no monster, that I was no witch, that we had been the ones fighting to save everyone, while she had only fought to take everything for herself.

There was no anger directed at us now, no shouting or accusations. Only quiet respect, and shame for how easily they had been tricked.

We stood up, lacing our fingers together, and walked out of the old estate side by side, leaving the shadows and secrets of the Valemont past behind us forever. The storm had passed, and sunlight was breaking through the clouds, warm and golden, just like the light that had saved us.

Waiting by the gates, leaning against his car with a soft, relieved smile, was Vince.

He ran to us the moment he saw us, pulling both of us into a gentle hug. “I felt it,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “The darkness lifting. I knew you’d done it. I knew you’d find a way.” He pulled back, looking between us, happy and at peace. “You two were always stronger than any curse, any bargain, any legend. I’m just glad you got your happy ending.”

He glanced back at the estate, where the police were helping Arabella out, to take her to a hospital, to give her the chance to start over, however broken she was. “She’ll be okay,” he said quietly. “She has a lot to learn, a lot to make up for, but she’s alive. And free, just like you.”

We thanked him, promising we’d always be friends, always be there for each other, then got into Cassian’s car to head back home.

It wasn’t until we were halfway back to the city that Cassian spoke, his voice soft and serious, but warm. “I did exactly what I promised,” he said, lifting our joined hands to press a kiss to my knuckles. “Before we faced the source, I signed all the papers. Every company, every property, every dollar, every title… I gave it all away. Donated everything to charity, to hospitals, to schools, to every cause that needed it. The Valemont fortune is gone, Seraphina. I’m not a billionaire anymore. I have nothing left… except you.”

He looked at me, nervous, like he was scared I’d be disappointed, like I’d wanted the wealth and the status after all.

But I laughed, soft and happy, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “You think I ever cared about money or power? I married you because I had to, yes. I stayed because I wanted to. I love you, Cassian Valemont—rich or poor, cursed or free. All I ever wanted was you.”

The next few months passed in a soft, happy blur. We didn’t go back to the big, cold mansion that had always felt more like a prison than a home. Instead, we moved to a small, sunlit cottage deep in the countryside, surrounded by green fields and wild roses, far away from the city, from the gossip, from everything that had ever hurt us.

We lived a simple life, the kind neither of us had ever known. We grew our own vegetables, baked bread together, read books under the big oak tree in the garden, took long walks by the river. There were no more rules, no more contracts, no more secrets, no more pain. We were just two people who loved each other, free to be exactly who we were.

One evening, almost exactly a year after we had first met, Cassian took me out to the garden, to the same oak tree we spent so much time under. He stopped in front of me, his hands shaking slightly as he pulled a small, simple silver ring from his pocket—no diamonds, no fancy gems, just plain silver, polished and warm.

He got down on one knee, looking up at me with eyes full of love, full of every memory, every struggle, every happy moment we’d shared.

“Seraphina,” he said, his voice soft and steady, ringing with truth. “The first time I asked you to be my wife, it was a contract. A deal. A way to save my life, and save your family. But that was never real. This is. I love you. I love your kindness, your strength, your patience, the way you changed my whole world just by being in it. I don’t have a fortune to give you anymore. I don’t have power or status. All I have is me. All I can give you is my heart, my life, my everything, for as long as we both shall live.”

He held out the ring, smiling through happy tears.

“Will you marry me? For real this time? No curses, no bargains, no debt. Just love.”

I cried as I nodded, more happy than I had ever been in my whole life, holding my hand out for him to slip the ring onto my finger.

“Yes,” I whispered, pulling him up to kiss him, soft and sweet, under the golden sunset. “A thousand times yes.”

We had started with a forced marriage, a terrible curse, and a life full of pain and secrets. But we ended with love, freedom, and a future brighter than any fairytale. We had turned the worst bargain in history into the most beautiful thing I had ever known. And I knew, as long as we had each other, we could face anything, overcome anything, and love each other, forever and always.

As I end my story, I hope everyone can learn a lesson and have a happy life. As I say goodbye, I will mean it for a lifetime and I can put a smile on my face.