I couldn't believe I was finally seeing daylight again. The warm rays touched my skin, making me realize how cold I'd been in that underground prison. With each step I took away from the hidden cellar door, my legs trembled—partly from weakness, partly from overwhelming relief.
"Easy now," Duke Alaric Thorne said, his steady hand supporting my elbow as I wobbled.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice still hoarse from screaming. "I just... I never thought I'd get out of there alive."
The Duke's expression remained stern, but there was unexpected kindness in his eyes. "You're safe now, Miss Brielle. The physician has already taken Clara to receive treatment."
I nodded, trying not to think about how Clara had looked when they carried her out—pale, bloody, barely conscious. Whatever her sins, no one deserved what Lucian had done to her.
"Is it true?" I asked suddenly, stopping in my tracks. "Is he really dead? Lucian?"
