Chapter Forty-Seven

**Emma's POV**

The relentless pounding in my head hadn't eased since the confrontation with Lena. Sleep had been elusive, teased by thoughts that wouldn't settle and fears that refused to be quelled. My body felt hollow, drained of energy, and the mere act of standing took every ounce of willpower I possessed.

Yet there was no postponing my mission. Nicholas deserved to know the truth about Lena and my father’s heartless schemes. As the morning light broke through the horizon, I forced myself out of bed and prepared for the drive to Nicholas’s estate. The cold splash of water against my face was insufficient to awaken my senses fully, but I hoped the drive would replace some of the chills with resolve.

The road was a smear of colours, my vision blurred by the inner turmoil gnawing at my thoughts. At times, I had to remind myself to breathe and to steady my grip on the steering wheel. The mansion appeared through the haze, standing like a citadel of daunting choices.

I parked and made