Sandra’s POVThe ballroom had gone quiet. I could feel almost everyone's eyes on me. I felt so uncomfortable, but I had to keep my head held up high.I adjusted my position, straightening myself.No one knew how far I had come to be hereNot silent, no, that would have been easier. Instead, it buzzed with whispers, trembling gasps, and the scraping of heels against marble as guests shuffled away from their half-eaten plates and sparkling glasses. Their eyes judgmental, terrified, and curious eyes clung to me like vines. I stood in the center of it all, heart still racing, Eric at my side like a flame barely holding back the cold.“Susan?” someone whispered. “Why would she do it?”“Wasn’t she raised in the palace?”“Still... she always wanted Eric.”I heard every word, and each one hit like a stone to the chest.“Are you sure about this?” Eric murmured, pulling me slightly away from the crowd. His voice was calm, but I could hear the tension behind it, like a growl trapped in his thro
Sandra’s POVThe palace walls were too quiet this morning. A shift. A whisper. Like the whole house had turned its eyes on me.They think I poisoned them.Not openly, not yet, but the seed had been planted. Susan might have failed to kill anyone, but she’d succeeded in something worse: turning the court’s eyes on me.And the worst part?Mrs. Axel wasn’t even trying to hide her suspicion anymore.She didn’t look up when I stepped in.“Good morning,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.She didn’t answer right away. Just a single glance over the rim of her teacup.“You’re up early.”“I could say the same.”I crossed the room and stood opposite her. I didn’t sit. Not yet.Mrs. Axel finally set her teacup down and folded her hands in her lap, like a queen on a throne.“I imagine sleep was difficult, given last night’s… situation.”Situation.That’s what she was calling it. Not the attempt on my reputation. Not the fact that someone poisoned the royal wine to frame me. No. Just a situati
Sandra’s POVThe palace walls were too quiet this morning. A shift. A whisper. Like the whole house had turned its eyes on me.They think I poisoned them.Not openly, not yet, but the seed had been planted. Susan might have failed to kill anyone, but she’d succeeded in something worse: turning the court’s eyes on me.And the worst part?Mrs. Axel wasn’t even trying to hide her suspicion anymore.She didn’t look up when I stepped in.“Good morning,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.She didn’t answer right away. Just a single glance over the rim of her teacup.“You’re up early.”“I could say the same.”I crossed the room and stood opposite her. I didn’t sit. Not yet.Mrs. Axel finally set her teacup down and folded her hands in her lap, like a queen on a throne.“I imagine sleep was difficult, given last night’s… situation.”Situation.That’s what she was calling it. Not the attempt on my reputation. Not the fact that someone poisoned the royal wine to frame me. No. Just a situati
Sandra’s POVI started dressing for the day. I decided on my outfit choice from the long array of dresses on the hanger.I later settled for a light pink floral dress that had roses at the upper part.I matched it with a pink sandal Eric had bought for me on one of our shopping trips.I brushed my hair lightly and then braided it into a tight bun.I was ready, not only for the day but also for the judgmental stares of people in the castle. I was already used to it by now. And I mean no one would ever make me feel bad. I hadn't come this far to be trampled upon by anyone, not even Susan or Luke.I stepped out into the corridor holding my head up high. I could see from my vision the maids chattering.Their whispers didn’t stop; they’d been circling ever since the incident with the poisoned drinks. It wasn’t enough that Susan had been caught in the act. No, it wasn’t just the facts that mattered anymore. It was how easily they could twist the narrative to make me the villain.I wasn’t na
Sandra’s POV“Sandra?” His voice had broken the silence that had swallowed this room whole, the kind of silence that feels alive, like it’s watching you.My eyes locked onto his. First, confusion flashed across his face, but it didn’t last. The moment he saw what I was holding the folder pressed tight against my chest like a shield, his expression shifted.I couldn’t speak. My fingers were clenched around the file, and I hadn’t even realized how tightly I was holding it until the edge dug into my palm. I’d found it everything I wasn’t supposed to see. Everything she thought she’d buried.The proof.The documents, notes, photos... all carefully tucked away in the locked drawer of her desk, as if secrets couldn’t rot through wood. My whole body was trembling, but I didn’t let go. I couldn’t. Letting go would make it too real.Eric stepped into the room fully now, closing the door behind him with a soft click that still made me flinch. The room had felt too big just moments ago, like t
Sandra’s POV The next day, there was another meeting. Another gathering of familiar faces that now felt foreign. Everyone was there because of the poisoning, the truth that had finally come to light. The elders spoke, one after the other, each with a different tone. Some spoke with regret, others with authority, and a few tried to find a middle ground, to balance what had happened with what was still left unsaid.But as they talked, I sat there, silent. Still.The words bounced off the walls, off their lips, and off me. I heard them, but I couldn’t feel them. Not the way they probably intended. They were trying to bring peace. Trying to restore order. Trying to act like what happened was something that could be wrapped up neatly and placed in the past. But I wasn’t there yet.Because peace wasn’t something you could summon with speeches.It wasn’t something that showed up just because the truth finally did.I looked around the room and saw faces I used to trust. Faces that had on
Sandra’s POVAnother meeting.This wasn’t the first meeting, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but it was the third since everything came to light. Since the lies unraveled. Since the truth had been dragged out into the open like an old, rotting corpse that had been hidden for far too long.And now, everyone wanted to act like they cared. Like they were shocked. Like they hadn’t known, or suspected, or played a part in letting it get this far. It was strange how quickly people could clean their hands and pretend they were never dirty.But me? I wasn’t pretending. I was just tired.Tired of being the girl who always had to be strong. Tired of being the one who people looked at with pity on their faces and questions in their eyes. Tired of fighting to be seen as more than just someone who survived.I wasn’t there to make anyone feel better. Not today.This meeting, just like the others, was meant to bring "closure." I stood by the door for a moment, just breathing. Taking it all in
Susan’s POVThey said justice had spoken. That truth had won. That the monster had been unmasked.But I wasn’t dead.Not even close.A dirty secret. A mistake no one wanted to claim.And that was what hurt the most.Like I was nothing more than a shadow they accidentally stood next to once.I could still feel the sting in my chest, that slow burn of humiliation that refused to fade. It had settled deep, becoming a part of me. I remembered how they used to sit in my home, in the very living room I decorated with so much love, laughing at the stories I told. They made toasts. They danced. They claimed we were family. That we were connected by more than blood or history—we were connected by loyalty.But now?Now those same people could barely meet my eyes. Now, when I walked into a room, they shifted in their seats, cleared their throats awkwardly, avoided saying my name altogether. As if by not acknowledging me, they could pretend their hands were clean. That they hadn’t once benefit
Sandra’s POVThe weight of everything had been crushing me for weeks. I didn’t need to sit with it to feel it anymore; the pressure was always there, lurking behind every conversation, every glance. But there was something about the silence that had settled over me that day, a calm before a storm. I realized something in that silence: I was tired of feeling like a victim in my own life.I could have fallen deeper, letting Susan win. I could have let her bitterness, and her manipulations pull me into a world where I was constantly battling shadows. But I wasn’t that woman anymore. At least, I wasn’t going to be.I’d spent the last few days spiraling, questioning myself, wondering if maybe this was my fault. But something in me snapped back into focus. I wasn’t just a pawn in this twisted game. And I certainly wasn’t going to let Susan or anyone else turn me into one.It started with something small, almost unnoticeable at first. I stopped pretending. I stopped pretending to be okay
Sandra’s POVThe weight of everything had been crushing me for weeks. I didn’t need to sit with it to feel it anymore; the pressure was always there, lurking behind every conversation, every glance. But there was something about the silence that had settled over me that day, a calm before a storm. I realized something in that silence: I was tired of feeling like a victim in my own life.I could have fallen deeper, letting Susan win. I could have let her bitterness, and her manipulations pull me into a world where I was constantly battling shadows. But I wasn’t that woman anymore. At least, I wasn’t going to be.I’d spent the last few days spiraling, questioning myself, wondering if maybe this was my fault. But something in me snapped back into focus. I wasn’t just a pawn in this twisted game. And I certainly wasn’t going to let Susan or anyone else turn me into one.It started with something small, almost unnoticeable at first. I stopped pretending. I stopped pretending to be okay
Sandra’s POVI knew something was off the moment I woke up that morning.There wasn’t a sound. Not the usual distant hum of the city or even birds chirping like they usually did outside our window. Just stillness. Thick, almost eerie silence. I sat up slowly, scanning the room like something or someone was waiting to jump out at me.But it was just the quiet.I shook it off and padded into the kitchen, where Eric was already making coffee. He smiled when he saw me, and for a moment, things felt normal again. “Did you sleep okay?” he asked, sliding a mug toward me.I nodded, even though I hadn’t. My dreams had been cluttered again fragments of Susan’s face, distorted in anger, floating in and out of memory. Whispers I couldn’t place. Things I couldn’t unsee. And that strange feeling of being watched.“I’m fine,” I lied, taking a sip.The taste was familiar, warm, and comforting but it did nothing for the weight pressing on my chest.The day didn’t get any better.By noon, I got the fi
Susan’s POVThey said justice had spoken. That truth had won. That the monster had been unmasked.But I wasn’t dead.Not even close.A dirty secret. A mistake no one wanted to claim.And that was what hurt the most.Like I was nothing more than a shadow they accidentally stood next to once.I could still feel the sting in my chest, that slow burn of humiliation that refused to fade. It had settled deep, becoming a part of me. I remembered how they used to sit in my home, in the very living room I decorated with so much love, laughing at the stories I told. They made toasts. They danced. They claimed we were family. That we were connected by more than blood or history—we were connected by loyalty.But now?Now those same people could barely meet my eyes. Now, when I walked into a room, they shifted in their seats, cleared their throats awkwardly, avoided saying my name altogether. As if by not acknowledging me, they could pretend their hands were clean. That they hadn’t once benefit
Sandra’s POVAnother meeting.This wasn’t the first meeting, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but it was the third since everything came to light. Since the lies unraveled. Since the truth had been dragged out into the open like an old, rotting corpse that had been hidden for far too long.And now, everyone wanted to act like they cared. Like they were shocked. Like they hadn’t known, or suspected, or played a part in letting it get this far. It was strange how quickly people could clean their hands and pretend they were never dirty.But me? I wasn’t pretending. I was just tired.Tired of being the girl who always had to be strong. Tired of being the one who people looked at with pity on their faces and questions in their eyes. Tired of fighting to be seen as more than just someone who survived.I wasn’t there to make anyone feel better. Not today.This meeting, just like the others, was meant to bring "closure." I stood by the door for a moment, just breathing. Taking it all in
Sandra’s POV The next day, there was another meeting. Another gathering of familiar faces that now felt foreign. Everyone was there because of the poisoning, the truth that had finally come to light. The elders spoke, one after the other, each with a different tone. Some spoke with regret, others with authority, and a few tried to find a middle ground, to balance what had happened with what was still left unsaid.But as they talked, I sat there, silent. Still.The words bounced off the walls, off their lips, and off me. I heard them, but I couldn’t feel them. Not the way they probably intended. They were trying to bring peace. Trying to restore order. Trying to act like what happened was something that could be wrapped up neatly and placed in the past. But I wasn’t there yet.Because peace wasn’t something you could summon with speeches.It wasn’t something that showed up just because the truth finally did.I looked around the room and saw faces I used to trust. Faces that had on
Sandra’s POV“Sandra?” His voice had broken the silence that had swallowed this room whole, the kind of silence that feels alive, like it’s watching you.My eyes locked onto his. First, confusion flashed across his face, but it didn’t last. The moment he saw what I was holding the folder pressed tight against my chest like a shield, his expression shifted.I couldn’t speak. My fingers were clenched around the file, and I hadn’t even realized how tightly I was holding it until the edge dug into my palm. I’d found it everything I wasn’t supposed to see. Everything she thought she’d buried.The proof.The documents, notes, photos... all carefully tucked away in the locked drawer of her desk, as if secrets couldn’t rot through wood. My whole body was trembling, but I didn’t let go. I couldn’t. Letting go would make it too real.Eric stepped into the room fully now, closing the door behind him with a soft click that still made me flinch. The room had felt too big just moments ago, like t
Sandra’s POVI started dressing for the day. I decided on my outfit choice from the long array of dresses on the hanger.I later settled for a light pink floral dress that had roses at the upper part.I matched it with a pink sandal Eric had bought for me on one of our shopping trips.I brushed my hair lightly and then braided it into a tight bun.I was ready, not only for the day but also for the judgmental stares of people in the castle. I was already used to it by now. And I mean no one would ever make me feel bad. I hadn't come this far to be trampled upon by anyone, not even Susan or Luke.I stepped out into the corridor holding my head up high. I could see from my vision the maids chattering.Their whispers didn’t stop; they’d been circling ever since the incident with the poisoned drinks. It wasn’t enough that Susan had been caught in the act. No, it wasn’t just the facts that mattered anymore. It was how easily they could twist the narrative to make me the villain.I wasn’t na
Sandra’s POVThe palace walls were too quiet this morning. A shift. A whisper. Like the whole house had turned its eyes on me.They think I poisoned them.Not openly, not yet, but the seed had been planted. Susan might have failed to kill anyone, but she’d succeeded in something worse: turning the court’s eyes on me.And the worst part?Mrs. Axel wasn’t even trying to hide her suspicion anymore.She didn’t look up when I stepped in.“Good morning,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.She didn’t answer right away. Just a single glance over the rim of her teacup.“You’re up early.”“I could say the same.”I crossed the room and stood opposite her. I didn’t sit. Not yet.Mrs. Axel finally set her teacup down and folded her hands in her lap, like a queen on a throne.“I imagine sleep was difficult, given last night’s… situation.”Situation.That’s what she was calling it. Not the attempt on my reputation. Not the fact that someone poisoned the royal wine to frame me. No. Just a situati