Odessa stepped hastily into Maximus’s room, her gaze disturbed as it fell on him.
“What happened to Tristan?” she asked, worry lacing her voice. When he didn’t reply, she exclaimed, “What happened to Tristan?!”
Maximus slowly turned to look at her, his gaze cold. “What?”
“H… he’s your brother. Are you not going to save him?” she asked. She had just received the news of Tristan’s territory being ambushed, and it caused her heart to clench.
“So?” he questioned, approaching her slowly. Odessa found his gaze strange. His reaction baffled her, and she knew better than to anger the man before her, especially when he was in this kind of mood.
“We should send the men and help him…”
“No one is sending anyone to save Tristan. He got what was coming to him,” Maximus responded, and Odessa’s eyes slowly widened.
“You…” Her lips parted in disbelief. “You knowingly handed your brother over to the Kings?”
“What? Are you so disappointed?” he asked, stepping forward again. Odessa couldn’t bear the intensity of his gaze, so she stepped back.
He continued, “May I ask you a question, woman?”
Odessa’s breath became shaky. Something was wrong. Maximus’s anger was directed at her and Tristan. Could he have found out what was between them?
No… they had been so careful with their actions. Maximus hardly came home, and most of the time, he traveled and returned after weeks.
“The twins,” he mentioned, and Odessa’s face paled. Her breath hitched, and she felt her soul leave her body, knowing what Maximus was about to ask.
Her back reached the wall, and she resisted the scream that almost escaped her lips.
Maximus placed one hand on the wall, the other tucked into his pocket, his face inches from hers. The scar on his face made him look even more frightening.
“Are they my sons?” he asked, and she swallowed hard. Her body froze, and she could hear her heart pounding in her chest, threatening to burst from its ribcage.
What the man might do to her terrified her.
“Answer me!” he roared, and she tried her best to compose herself. If she wanted to escape this, she needed to be bold… but that turned out to be her mistake.
“What are you talking about? You’re my husband. I bore you those twi-” Her words were cut short when Maximus swiftly plunged a dagger into her stomach, his movements fast.
The pain of her flesh being pierced coursed through her, driving her mad. Her eyes widened as she gazed down at her blood pooling on the floor.
Maximus brought his lips close to her ear while plunging the blade deeper into her stomach.
“You dare lie to my face?” he asked in a hoarse, dangerous voice.
“Aah! Please… stop! Stop! They aren’t your sons. They’re Tristan’s!” she exclaimed.
She heard Maximus groan at her confession. He swiftly withdrew the dagger and plunged it deep into another part of her stomach.
Odessa’s scream of pain echoed through the room. Her body trembled under his hold, and her eyes welled with tears.
“Please…” she gasped for air.
“I feel so stupid, woman. To think I don’t have an heir, and that you and my brother lied to me the whole time… it makes my blood boil. No one has ever made me feel this way…”
Maximus pulled the knife out and plunged it into her again. A soft, inaudible cry left her lips. The pain was slowly fading, signaling her impending death. Her vision blurred, and her limbs gave out.
“In your next life, Odessa, you’ll be a good wife,” he whispered and drove the dagger into her once more. Each time he did, it went deeper than before. His gaze remained cold as her blood soaked his clothes.
Slowly releasing her, he watched her body crumple to the floor.
He took a deep breath and swept his hair back. He had betrayed his brother and killed his own wife?
With his head spinning, he walked over to the large mirror in his room, his gaze fixated on the blood staining his face and body.
His jaw clenched as he recalled Catelyn’s words.
“Look into the mirror and see the monster you’ve become…”
Groaning, he punched the mirror until it shattered into pieces, his scream filling the room. He grabbed a chair and hurled it across the room, his hands destroying everything in their path. His screams echoed off the walls.
___
While taking her bath, Jolene searched her body for a strange scar. That must be where they inserted some kind of chip into her.
She had only seen such things in movies and had thought it was all nonsense, but after putting all the clues together, she realized it might be possible they had done that to her.
She glanced at the other girls bathing nearby. Her eyes met Lisa’s, who had been watching her the entire time. Jolene hadn’t been able to sleep the night before, as she had been keeping an eye on Lisa…
She knew that bitch came from the Wallington family. Since she was no longer under Mr. King’s protection, they were going to end her.
She continued checking her body but found nothing. Sighing in frustration, she glanced at the girl beside her.
“Hi, can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“If you were going to track someone, where would you insert something to track them?” she asked.
“Uh… something they carry the most,” the girl shrugged and left.
“Carry the most…” Jolene mumbled, her heart racing. They must have placed something in her room.
She checked her body again, just to be sure, unaware that the others had already left the room.
She froze when she heard light footsteps approaching. Barely, she dodged the attack Lisa launched from behind.
Lisa’s fist collided with the mirror, shattering it.
Jolene staggered back. She wasn’t a good fighter, so she headed for the exit. Her pace betrayed her as Lisa caught up. A punch landed on her stomach, and she spat out blood.
Punching her in the face, Lisa grabbed her by the hair and began dragging her.
Jolene’s eyes widened at the sight of the tub filled with water. She tried to break free from Lisa’s grip but wasn’t strong enough. She screamed for help, but no one came. Lisa forcefully pushed her head into the water and held her down.
Her head spun, feeling death coming her way.