Chapter Twenty

Furina felt like the ground was crumbling beneath her feet. She had thought she was strong, that she could handle whatever came her way. But now, faced with the truth of her situation, she felt powerless, trapped in a web of lies and deceit.

Deep down, she needed to confront Diluc, to get the truth from him directly. But the very idea terrified her. If Yvette was right, then the man she had married, the man who had seemed so cold and distant yet oddly protective, was nothing more than a puppet master, manipulating her life to suit his own ends.

It wasn’t until a week later when Diluc asked her to attend another social function that she finally faced the man who’d been haunting her thoughts for the last seven days.

She had gone to the loo and as Furina made her way back inside, she felt a heavy sense of dread settle over her. The walls were closing in, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold herself together. Diluc was waiting for her when she returned to the ballroom, hi