Chapter 72: Severing the Chains
Adrian’s POV
The space felt oppressive. Long shadows were created over the gilt furnishings and the family pictures that hung on the walls by the thick curtains that shut out the sunshine. Every image conveyed a tale of ambition and power, of a legacy created by manipulation rather than love.
I faced my mother as I stood in the middle of the parlor. To my left, Nathaniel was a quiet but powerful figure. Even though I could feel the tightness in his jaw and the weight of the past bearing down on him just as much as it did on me, he had decided to stand with me today.
With a glass of wine in hand, my mother sat like a queen on her throne in her high-backed chair. She gave us a look that was both amused and annoyed as if we were spoiled kids ruining her nig
