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Chapter 36: Firelight and Fractures

Author: Emel Emerald
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-25 19:00:20

Morning came—but nothing was new.

The sun struggled weakly through the curtains, filtering down to stone floors still holding remnants of the shadows cast last night.

In a house like the Blackwood mansion, nothing ever really changed. Walls didn't merely hold people—They held silence, secrets, and sins.

But deep within those walls, everything changed.

Something had broken.

Something was going to be born.

West Wing Lounge – 7:00 A.M.

Harrison stood before the fireplace, arms folded on his chest, watching ashes dance as dying suns. He had not slept. He did not need to.

The buzz of breakfast cooking was from far down the halls, but where he sat in silence with worry.

The door opened without apology.

Nathaniel stood, coat still on, face unyielding. He shut the door, movements too planned, too measured.

"You were with her," Harrison accused, not even bothering to turn around.

Nathaniel was silent. There was no use for him to do anything else.

"She's manipulating you," Harrison
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