Chapter 13.
That night, Elara sat at the end of the bed with the table lamp dimmed. The bridal chamber that had once felt cold now made her mind wander. Her chest was pounding, no longer from fear as before, but from something more difficult to admit - the feelings that were slowly emerging for the man she should never have considered a husband.
Damien Vale.
The name kept ringing in her head.
She knew that Damien had come into her life with a big lie. She knew that he was replacing Adrian, a legitimate husband in the eyes of the world. Yet, at some point, Elara began to see Damien not as a shadow, but as someone who had his own life with scars, secrets, and real courage.
That realization made her sick with guilt. Adrian was still missing, either alive or dead. How could her heart wa
