Everyone in the mansion turned silent the moment they heard the front door crash open.
Alec stormed inside like a tempest—dark, brooding, lethal. He was dragging Melissa behind him, his grip on her wrist iron-tight. Her heels scraped against the marble, struggling to match his brutal pace. Eyes from every corner peeked out from behind doors, curtains, and stair railings, watching the storm unfold. No one dared intervene. They all knew what Alec Blackwood was when his fury exploded—untouchable, unstoppable.
He didn’t stop at the main staircase. He didn’t drag her to the master bedroom or the study. Instead, he pulled her toward the one part of the house that bore witness only to his demons—the private retreat on the top floor. The place where he used to drink away his chaos, drown in his
