The Billionaire's Curse

CHAPTER 4

Whispers in the Library

Amara's POV

The shadows engulfed me. I leaned my back against the chilly wall, my pulse racing. The quiet was more terrible than the wet, heavy air. It seemed too quiet, like if someone was observing me while holding their breath.

I kept one hand on the wall and advanced carefully. My footsteps reverberated as if the tunnel went on forever, and the floor was uneven. Adrian's words lingered in my mind like poison even though I could no longer hear them. "Hungry," he had said. What had been down here?

I noticed a dim light ahead after what seemed like an eternity. A fissure in a stone entryway let forth a bright, golden radiance. My breath stuck in my throat as I took a step closer. There were odd, unintelligible inscriptions and a wolf's head carved in the middle above the entrance.

To my surprise, I pulled the door open and found myself in a magnificent library.

It was enormous, with ladders rolling on golden tracks and shelves that reached the ceiling. The fragrance of the room was a combination of old paper and something somewhat sweet, like dried flowers. No dust was present. Not a single cobweb. It seemed oddly clean, as if someone had just been here.

In an attempt to comprehend how a secret tunnel could lead to something so exquisite, I ventured further within. When I arrived at the facility, I saw a big oak desk. There was an open book with neat, spidery handwriting all over its pages. But I wasn't weak because of the writing. *The Wives of Adrian Kane* was the title.

I cautiously opened it. Names were listed on page after page. Clara, Elena, and Miriam. So many names. natal dates. dates of the wedding. Then dates of death. Some people passed away from illness. Others vanished. However, they were all wives. They were all... stuck.

I turned to the latest page, my hands shaking. There, in red writing, was my name: Amara Hart. Next to it: "Sixth Wife." Two kids. Status: In effect. The words "To be tested" were placed below in a deeper red.

With terror creeping beneath my skin, I slammed the book shut. From the distant shelf came a whisper. With my heart in my throat, I quickly turned. There was nobody. Nothing just bookshelves and too-thick shadows.

Then it came to me once again. A faint, quiet voice calling my name.

"Amara."

In an attempt to locate it, I circled about. "Who is present?" My voice trembled as I asked. There was no response. Just more murmurs, more than one, but quieter now.

A mirror between two shelves caught my attention as I followed the sound. It was tall and had a vine-shaped gold frame. I could see my image staring back at me, but there was a problem. It wasn't my eyes in the mirror.

They were depressed and hurting. and they took independent action.

The expression started to change. Lips thinned, hair darker. The vision changed to another lady, and I recoiled in fear. Then another. And yet another. Everyone is staring at me. Everyone is confined behind the glass.

Together, they whispered.

"Aid us."

I made contact. When my fingertips touched the icy glass, it seemed as if someone else's hand had touched mine.

Abruptly, I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned around.

Adrian was standing at the door with a long, sharp object in his hand.

It was not your destiny to discover this chamber.

The immobility in Adrian's eyes was worse than anger, despite their calmness. With the sword in his hand, he approached me with assurance rather than haste. As if he already knew that I had nowhere to go. Like imprisoned spirits urging me to move, the mirror behind me pulsed quietly.

"What is this location?" I asked, my voice barely steady as I tried to delay.

Adrian's head c****d. For those who see too much, there is a chamber. Here, the truth turns into quiet.

He cautiously slid the knife over a book's spine. My skin crawled at the sound of metal against leather. "Every wife ultimately discovers this spot. They constantly come here out of curiosity. You were quicker than most.

I took a step back and pressed myself against the mirror. Like a windstorm pleading with me to shatter the glass, the murmurs behind it became louder. I didn't have a weapon, however. No power. Just be afraid.

"Amara, you ought to have remained blind. Your quiet is the reason I choose you. Your compliance.

The remarks were more painful than the knife he was holding. Now, in addition to my anxiety, I was trembling from the growing anger inside. I'm angry for myself, my kids, and all the names in that damned book.

I replied in a steady yet quiet voice, "I'm not like the others."

Adrian hesitated. There was something flickering in his eyes for the first time. Uncertainty? Laughter?

He gave a gloomy laugh. "That's what everyone said."

The library's lights suddenly began to flicker. Behind me, the mirror started to shimmer, its surface distorting like water. Elena's face poked through the glass.

Her mouth moved quickly. This time, no whispering. An order.

"Leap."

There was a loud snap when the mirror cracked.

Adrian made a quick spin. However, it was too late.

Out of the glass, a hand grabbed my arm. I yelled, but I was dragged into the mirror before I could defend myself.

Once again, darkness engulfed me, but this time it was different. softer. colder. I coughed as I fell hard on a stone floor in another room. I saw candles everywhere as I glanced up.

A circle of women, recognizable faces from the mirror, stood. the former spouses.

"Elena?" I muttered.

She took a step forward. pale. Lovely. Broken. But alive in a manner beyond my comprehension.

She said, "This is the space in between." "He is unaware that we made it out alive."

I looked at her, perplexed. "But according to the text, you all perished."

"We did. From the shadows, a another voice replied, "On paper." We were waiting for someone who could end the cycle, but our spirits were stuck.

"Elena stated the key was me."

She gave a nod. "You're the only one who survived the library."

A thick stillness descended around them.

"But if Adrian discovers you here... he will murder us all," a lady said.

Adrian has dragged Amara into a secret spiritual world where his deceased wives reside, and now everything hinges on her; if Adrian discovers, they will all really perish. **